Big in Japan

LFI: What fascinates you about Japan and what is the atmosphere of the country you want to show?
Jonathan Jasberg: Japan is an incredibly unique country due to its geographical location and isolation throughout much of its history, which led to a country and culture that is extremely different to the rest of the world. Despite making over 25 trips to visit, often spending months at a time, it is a place I'm still in awe of, confused by, and fascinated with. I'm particularly interested in aspects of the culture that have spanned hundreds of years with little to no change, and which now collide with a more modern Japan.

With your images of sumo wrestlers, cherry blossoms and geishas, you capture defining attributes of Japan: what significance do you attach to them for the country and for the 21st century?
I'm particularly fascinated by Japan's Heian period, a pivotal era spanning from 794 to 1185 when Kyoto flourished as the imperial capital. It was during this time that many of the enduring artistic and cultural traditions of Japan were either conceived or reached their peak. My ongoing photography project, Hakanai yume datta – It was a fleeting dream – delves into the intricate interplay between these timeless traditions, that have remained virtually unchanged yet are rapidly fading away amid the modern landscape of Japan. The ancient capital cities of Nara and Kyoto, as well as the present day capital city of Tokyo, all serve as backdrops in this project, and the traditions of the past are often portrayed in a whimsical/dreamlike way, to portray a bit of nostalgia for the bygone era. I tend to use zone focusing with a large depth of field, so that I can capture dynamic scenes and tell multiple stories within a single frame.

Your fascination with the country also led you to learn the language.
I first visited Japan in 2010, and the experiences I had on that trip made such a huge impression that I decided I would dive head first into learning the language. I didn't just want to be able to communicate the basics. I wanted to be able to watch movies, have conversations with locals, read novels and even write at a high-level. It has taken thousands of dedicated hours of study and practice for over a decade, and my Japanese is still not to the point where I'd like it to be, but it has been a fantastic tool at both giving me additional cultural insight, as well as allowing me to gain access to things beyond the surface that I would not have access to if I only spoke English.