I’m a photographer based in Tokyo, Japan, who’s traveled the world as a backpacker.

When I look back on my travels, the first thing that comes to my mind are the humble smiles and warmth of the people that I’ve met along the way. They were kind to me, but never asked for anything in return.

The passionate Latinos I met in South America, the tranquil Middle-Easterners living in harsh environments out in the sticks, the children with innocent smiles living in the poverty-stricken slums of Asia.

When we met, race didn’t matter.

There were countless encounters along the journey where we could communicate and connect through our hearts.

Travel, to me, is all about the people I encounter.

I feel that these encounters were what taught me how kind, diverse and vast the world is.

Chaos in the world

The world is flooded with all kinds of problems. The Russia-Ukraine military crisis is one of them.

After coming back from my trip, there’s something that has been draining my heart – whenever I see people at war on the news, I can’t help but think “why is it so hard to be friends between nations, when we can do it so easily between one another?”

What can we do to bring peace to the world?

What can “I” do to bring peace to the world?

The answer that I came up with was to “sow the seeds to trigger small connections around the world.”

Photography was something that I discovered during my long journey.

Taking photographs, for me, is not only a way to capture reality, but also a way to project a part of my soul.

By sowing the seeds of “hope” through photographs, I hope that the people who see them will feel even the slightest connection to the world regardless of their nationality, and I dream for a peaceful world without war.