The Tokachidake mountain range rises majestically and the vast hills stretch in layers. The vibrant scenery of the golden wheat that flutters in the wind, the color of the potato field that blooms small white flowers, the patchwork patterned farmland surrounded by the windbreak forest, and the beautiful scenery that changes with the seasons give such impression and comfort in mind at the same time.
 
The beautiful scenery of the ‘hill town Biei’ that everyone dreams of was discovered and widely introduced by the photographs of Shinzo Maeda. Many photographers and people who love Biei visit from Japan and overseas and take photos with their own perspective and return home.
 
‘The Hill Town Biei’ draws attention worldwide as a Mecca of landscape photography. However, manners and rules for photographing the landscape are not widely known, and there are issue to be reconciled between local agricultural business and tourism  caused by the incidents such as tourists entering farmland to take photographs.
 
Now that many people visit Biei seeking for its beauty, we will capture this beautiful landscape in photographs and pass it on to the next generations aiming to create a place where visitors interact with locals through photography.
 
We must protect and nurture this landscape created by the effort of our predecessors’ in agriculture and forestry.
 
The Hill Town Biei International Forum of Landscape and Photography in cooperation with all who love Biei aims to bring locals and visitors together hand in hand and deliver the beauty of the hill town Biei and photography culture not only to Japan but also to the world.