Africa is a place that teaches me what I do not know or cannot imagine.

When I started living in Kenya, the standards I had as a Japanese person fell apart, one after the other. The concept of time or commitment was different, and it was normal for things not to go as planned. After spending some time here, my standard of expectation was totally altered. However, to compensate for the hardships, my lower level of expectation has brought me more joy and less worry about the future.

Visiting new places, meeting people, and learning new things are definitely a privilege for photographers. Ongoing experiences have generated new perspectives for me. Most of my images would not exist without the support of the people in Africa. They have always taken me to deeper levels, beyond my expectations. What I can do, in return, is to capture something slightly different, for example a niche scene that is easily overlooked.

Indeed, life in Africa has given me excellent conditions to be retrained as a photographer.