outoffocusmag.com

March 11, 2011 is a day we´ll never forget. Because of it was the biggest disaster in Japan since World War II, it may not be necessary with any detailed and further explanation of what was happening that day.
As I write this, there is still ongoing rescue efforts in the northeast of Japan. And the situation of the nuclear power plant in Fukushima is still indistinct .

This slide-show is not directly about the earthquake, but most images are photographed in some of the worst affected areas in Japan: Ibaraki and Iwate Prefecture.
What I want to describe with this slide-show is the feeling I have had since the earthquake took place. I have friends and relatives in Ibaraki. Close relatives were hard affected.

This slide-show is inspired by Japan. Inspired by traditional Japanese art and culture. Since I got in contact with Zen- Buddhism and since I started to practice tea-ceremony, my pictures changed. I like to believe that it is a purer expression in my pictures today.

The music for this slide-show is borrowed from the Japanese composer Joe Hisaishi. Other important sources of inspiration for this slide-show worth mentioning is the Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, the Japanese poet Mitsuo Aida and the Japanese Enka singer Sayuri Ishikawa. Sayuri Ishikawa is really the archetype of the Japanese woman. Woman that I adore. Woman who gives me strength and inspiration.
Japanese culture is androgynous. Androgynity is a state of mind. No matter of what those terrible gender-terrorists says.

When I shoot in Japan today, I try as far as possible to avoid certain designs or things that may be associated with new, young Japanese culture. Furthermore, everything that can be associated with the West will be thrown away.
In my opinion, beauty and dignity is what pushes culture and people forward.

Today Japan is a large open wound. You become really aware of life’s vulnerability in that particular position. You will become more and more aware of the fact that life at any time can be expended. We are not designed to stay long on the earth, we are made to disappear.
If you, like me, were born and grew up, in a welfare society without any war or heavy disasters, such as Sweden and later on starts living in a safe and rich country like Japan it can be difficult to get any perspective about life and the world.
We really don´t know anything. All we know is that we all will die some day. There are no guarantees, no agreements, no bribes to help you out.
Samurai warriors and cherry blossom can inspire you to try to live your life more fully. If you imagine your life and your fate in the beautiful but brief life of the cherry blossom you will live your life at the height of it´s beauty rather than withering away. That´s what I´m trying to do. So the older I become, the more action I got. In a double sense.
In Japan, the cherry blossoms also represented drops of blood.

Last night, another thing happened that made me, once again, reminded of the fact that nothing lasts forever. I have a picture taken on a very beautiful woman standing at the doorway in front of her snack-bar. She looks into the camera and smiles. I remember I took the picture one night, exactly two years ago. I was in a for me, unknown suburb outside Tokyo. Earlier that day, my girlfriend broked up with me. I guess that I, as usual, ended up somewhere without any plan, reason or to know why. The only thing I certainly remember was that I was in a despair.
Because of it is a good picture I have ever since that day wanted to give her the picture but it never ever actually happened. You can blame it on laziness.
But yesterday, finally, I took hold of the matter and went to that suburb with the picture. After much searching I finally found the right place. A man opened the door, it later turned out that it was her husband. I showed the picture to him and explained my mission. He told me that she died a few months ago. He thought, however, that it was a really good picture so he kept it instead.
It was a very short meeting, but I could see that he was touched by the situation and by the picture.

I always hated to be too late, yet I am always too late, and one can say that I was too late this time too. But I’m glad I still was able to give her husband that picture.

Finally, about the earthquake and Japan…I hope this slide-show can encourage people who wanna help victims in Japan and maybe contribute what they can do for Japan today.

I hope that Japan can recover from this tragedy. That we all together will help to heal this large, infected wounds the best we can.

Goro Bertz (1980), född och uppvuxen i Stockholms norra förorter men lever och fotograferar sedan 2006 i Tokyo, Japan. Jobbar enbart med egna projekt. Medlem i bildbyrån Folio.

Goro kan nås på: gorobertz@me.com