NPO Biei photo image Association

Many-layered huge hills that reach the foot of magnificent Tokachidake mountain range. The vividness of the golden wheat swaying in the breeze, the coloring of the potato fields that makes white small flowers bloom, the farm lands cultivated in the patchwork pattern surrounded by the windbreak forest and the beautiful scenery varied in four seasons, which endows sense of peace and deep impression to all who visit there.

The beautiful landscape of "BIEI, the town of hills" that everyone imagine was first found and introduced widely by the great photographer Maeda Shinzo and since then many photographers and people who love BIEI have visit there and enjoy taking beautiful photos and take them home with great memories.

"BIEI the town of hills" attract attention worldwide as a Mecca of landscape photographs. However, on the other hand, manners and rules for photographing the great landscapes are not widely known, and there is a problem to be solved to reconcile between agriculture and tourism, caused by the case of tourist`s entering farmland as a subject of photographs.

We must protect the great landscape created by our predecessors through their engagement in agriculture and forestry.

Nowadays many people visit BIEI for beauty, we will capture the beauty of BIEI in photos for the future generations, and also aim to create a community that enables everyone who visit BIEI to interact with local people through those beautiful photos.

With the united cooperation of all who love BIEI including both those who are living in BIEI and those who are visiting BIEI, we "BIEI the town of hills: Landscape Photography International Forum" wishes to disseminate the beauty of BIEI as well as the joy of taking eye-grabbing scenic photos not only to domestic Japan but also to the world.
 

 
Opening Event

Date : April 29, 2017
Place : Biei-cho Cyoumin Center
M C : Ms. Aya Ito

15:00Opening Ceremony SHIROGANEDAIKO
15:15Greeting Speech by Mr. Tetsu Hamana ( Biei Mayor )
15:20The four seasons of Biei by Piano Ms. Yukiko Isomura and Movie by Haruo Kikuchi
16:00Keynote Speech “ Biei, Landscape and Photograpy Culture” by Mr. Everette Kennedy Brown
16:30Panel Discussion “ Whose belonging is the beautiful landscape of Biei ? ”
Panelist : Mr. Kazutoshi Yoshimura / Mr. Haruo Kikuchi / Mr. Murakami (Biei Farmer) / Mr. Katsutoshi Nakayama (Biei Tourism Association)
Coordinator : Ms. Miki Asou
 

Mr. Everette Kennedy Brown   Mr. Kazutoshi Yoshimura
Mr. Haruo Kikuchi   Ms. Miki Asou

Opening Event


The four seasons of Biei by Piano Ms. Yukiko Isomura and Movie by Haruo Kikuchi

 

 
Everett Kennedy Brown

Born in Washinton, D.C. and a permanent resident of Japan since 1988.Collodion Photographer, Creative Advisor of International Center for Japanese Culture, Director of Kaisho Project.
After working as a branch manager of European Press Photo Agency, he has started to involve himself in many projects to introduce Japan to the world since 2012. His work has appeared in most major global media such as “National Geographic” “Geo” as well as domestic media like “Katei Gahou International”. His principal photo books include: “Oretachi no Nippon” “Nihonryoku” “Japanese Samurai Fashion”.

Selected Solo Exhibitions and Publications

2011    Photo exhibition “Thohoku” at World Economic Forum, Davos
2012    Photo exhibition “Giappone nel Chiostro” at Museo Diocesano di Brescia, Italy
2014    Photo exhibition “Nihon no Omokage” at Takenaka Gallery A4 , Tokyo
2014    Photo exhibition “Ichibu no Ichiten” at Yamashita Gallery, Tokyo
2014    Photo exhibition “Collodion Compositions” at Ginza Yamaha Hall, Tokyo
2015    Photo exhibition “Joumon” at Natioan Museum Finland
2015    Photo exhibition “Sanbkeiei no Omokage” at Sankei-en Museum, Yokohama
2016    Photo exhibition “Nihon no Omokage” at Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum, Kobe
2016    Photo exhibition “Contemporary Talents of Japan” at Ronin Gallery, New York
2017    Photo exhibition “Kaisho” at Sankei-en Museum, Yokohama
2017    Photo exhibition “Japanese Samurai Fashion” at hpgrp Gallery, New York
2017    Photo exhibition “Kimonomonogatari” at Kosaka Art Gallery, New York 
 

 KAZUTOSHI YOSHIMURA
 

Born in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture in 1967. Worked at a printing company in Tokyo after graduating from Tagawa High School. Made a debut as a photographer after one year living experience in Canada. Since then, he has been doing ambitious shooting activities while continuing his journey throughout the world based in Tokyo. Alongside with the theme he picked up, he keeps searching for the photographic subject for years and publishes as a series of photos. Lyrical landscape photos capturing delicate light, shadows and wind with an artistic composition, and portraits of local people whose breathing and emotions are transmitted are highly popular and his photo exhibition regularly held throughout the country attract so many fans. In recent years, he is expanding the range of expression through writing in magazines and publishing essays collections.
 Selected Solo Exhibitions and Publications

2003     Won the Media Award Canada
2007     Won the Best Newcomer Award, The Photographic Society of Japan
2015     Won the Special Photographer Award, Higashikawa International Photo Festival 

 

KAZUYOSHI SHIMODA

Born in 1949. Learned photpgraphy at Sydne di Craiker Studio (NYC, USA) in 1973. After graduation he started a photo studio in 1973. A series of photos he took in Canada “ SKETCH OF CANADA” were printed in PHOTO JAPAN magazine in 1994. From 2005, He has started photographing in Xingjian China.

Selected Solo Exhibitions and Publications

2004     Won the Konica Minolta Photo Contest Excellent Photo Award
2005     Won the Konica Minolta Photo Contest Best Photo
2008     Photo exhibition “INSHO (IMPRESSION) / Xingjian” at Xian District Cultural Hall in Shanghai and at Fuji Film Photo Salon in Tokyo
2009     Photo exhibition “Xingjian, Qinghai, Szechuan” in Guiyang, Guizhou
2011     Photo exhibition “TENJI / A CELESTIAL PATH: Undiscovered Eternal Earth” at Fuji Film Photo Salon in Tokyo
 

HARUO KIKUCHI

Born in Nanyo-city Yamagata Prefecture in Japan in 1954. Moved from Tokyo to Biei in 1995 and opned a Haruo Kikuchi photo gallery in front of Hokusei no Oka Tenbou Park. He has started a video shooting by HD camera and is now creating digital video contents along with a still photographing, which are used for a TV show “Wonder x Wonder” (NHK) and other TV programs such as “HD Special” (NHK BS) and he himself appeared on a TV program “HOKKAIDO IN FOCUS” aired on NHK.

Selected Solo Exhibitions and Publications

2000     Published a photo book “Kousai no Daichi (The Land of Splendor) “
2001     Published a photo book “Kinoaru Fukei (A Scenery with Trees)” “ Hananoaru Fukei (A Scenery with Flowers)”
2007     Released on DVD “Biei-Furano no Shiki (Four Season in Biei, Furano)”
2013     Released on BD “Okanoaru Fukei (A Scenery with Hills)”
2015-16   Photo exhibition “Nippon no Mottomo Utsukushii Daichi – Biei Okanoaru Fukei (Japan`s most beautiful land A Scenery with Hills) ” at Fuji Film Photo Salon in Tokyo and Osaka
2017     Photo exhibition “Nippon no Mottomo Utsukushii Daichi – Biei Okanoaru Fukei (Japan`s most beautiful land A Scenery with Hills) ” at Fuji Film Photo Salon in Nagoya 
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Born in 1973. Graduated from Japan Institute of Photography And Film. Experienced in advertising photographs and portraits。After teaching at Japan Institute of Photography And Film, he moved to Biei town and takes mainly landscape photos of Biei. A member of Japan Professional Photographers Society

Selected Solo Exhibitions and Publications

2002     Photo exhibition “Landscape in Biei” at Higashikawa Culture Gallery
2003     Photo exhibition “Miserarete Biei (Enchanted Biei)” at Town of Biei Tourism Association
2006     Published a photo book “Biei no daichi (Land of Biei)”
2008     Photo exhibition “Hokkaido no Shiki (Four Seasons in Hokkaido)” in Pusan, Korea
2009     Photo exhibition “Biei no Daichi (Land of Biei)” in Shinjuku, Tokyo
2014     Photo exhibition “JPS Reunion Photo Exhibition” in Shinjuku, Tokyo
2015     Published a photo book “Utsukushiki Biei no Hikari to Sora (Light and Sky of Beautiful Biei)”
 

TOSHIKI NAKANISHI

Born in Osaka in 1971. While learning photography on his own, he had kept visiting Hokkaido from around1990 and finally moved to Biei, his shooting base in 2012. While tackling landscape photos featuring a light, he also challenge an expression to find a form of beauty in nature.

Selected Solo Exhibitions and Publications

2012     Published a photo book “Hikari no Iro (Color of Light)”
2012     Photo exhibition “Hikari no Iro (Color of Light)” at Canon Garelly Ginza, Osaka
2013     Photo exhibition “HIKARINOIRO + (Color of Light +) “ Higashikawa Culture Gallery
2014     Publsihed a photo book “Power of Light”
2015     Published a photo book “Biei Hikari no Tabi (Biei Journy of Light)”
2016     Publshed a photo book “ORDINARY”
2016     Photo exhibition “ORDINARY” at Ricoh Imaging Square Shinjyuku
2017     Won the Exellent Award in The 5th Nikkei National Geographic Photo Awards
 

 
Kent Shiraishi

Born in Sapporo City, Hokkaido. Currently living in Biei Town, Hokkaido. The picture of ""Blue Pond"" in Biei is widely adopted in the advertisement of Apple Inc. in 2012 for the first time as a Japanese photographer and since then he has signed a 8 years long exclusive contract with Apple and his photos are adopted for the wallpaper not only for the main sales models iPhone, MacBook Pro but for all models. As the result, the ""blue pond"" became famous worldwide, which greatly contributes to the increase of the number of tourists to the town. In addition, He has involved in the lighting-up of frozen “Blue Pond"" in winter since December 2014, and the pictures taken of the pond are quickly mouth buzzed in the world and a series of photo works on ""Blue Pond"" has been translated in 19 languages and viewed on-line all over the world.
He, as a photographer, is focusing on how his photos can travel to the world and always creating works as a SAMURAI Photographer in order to make Hokkaido a world-class sightseeing destination.

Selected Solo Exhibitions and Publications

In 2011, he won the first prize as a Japanese in the international on-line photo contest hosted by National Geographic (US) by the photo of Blue Pond in Biei with the first snowfall of the year.
Sine then the photo of the Blue Pond has been selected for National Graphic`s representative photo book which is published all over the world every year.
“STUNNING PHOTOGRAPHS”(2014)
“Greatest Landscapes”(2016)
“NIGHT VISION”(2017)

 

 

Hajime Yamazaki

Born in Asahikawa city, Hokkaido. President of Digital Content Limited Company
I am an image creator who pursues light. Under the philosophy of ""making everyone I met happy with the power of the video, have viewers take some actions"", and I am pursuing my mission to “leave various wonderful things of the earth to the people of the world.""
Producing and providing documentaries in 4K about people, products, things and scenery images as central subject matters.

Selected Solo Exhibitions and Publications

Won the grand prix at the video competition of introducing the attraction of Hokkaido hosted by Hokkaido agency (2012)
Won the grand prix at Tokushima 4K Film Festival (2016)
Shows and Publications:
“Eizo Tairiku Hokkaido” NTT PLALA (4K)
“Kinoiro Biei - Fuyu no iro / Natsu no iro- ” Tabi Channel (4K)
“Land Skip (#01-#10) Sky Perfect TV (4K)
“ Anata no mada shiranai Hokkaidi” Air DO (from June 2017)
DVDs:
“Biei no Kioku”(DVD)
“Ao wo Tameru Ike(DVD,BD)
“Hokkaido Meikei Kikou”(DVD)
“Eizo Tairiku Hokkaido” vol.1-12(DVD)
“Eizo Tairiku Hokkaido” Eastern Part (DVD)

 

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