It has been two years since I moved to the outskirts of Tokyo, and I recently renewed my lease. This is the first time I have renewed a lease since my first apartment in Suginami, the first place I lived after moving to Tokyo. Before I came to my current house, I had moved from apartment to apartment, never staying in one place for more than two years. There are many reasons for this, but in the end it was either because I simply did not like the house anymore, or because I felt I had already taken all the pictures I could in the house.
To be honest, I had the option of leaving my current house without renewing it, but I chose to continue living here after considering several factors. I really like this house. We rented the old house with 70% of it fixed up by the landlord, and while we lived here, we renovated it to make it better for us to live in. Both the humans and the cat have gotten so used to the house that I can move around with my eyes closed, and the cat rolls around like a piece of cotton in a new place every day. There are many problems because it is an old house, but with a little creativity they become less annoying. If I had to say anything, I would say that only the yard is hell to maintain, and if I were to own a house someday, I would want to fill the whole place with concrete, except for the buildings. This shows how unsuitable I am for gardening.
One of the deciding factors in my decision to live in this house was the fact that the back of the house has an open field that allows beautiful western sunlight into the house. However, the field was recently sold and a house built, and the house next door became vacant after the kind and loving grandmother moved into a nursing home. On the other side of the house, the somewhat curious old lady next door, who always gave us vegetables (by force), once stepped over the fence and planted a shiso seedling in our garden without our permission, and I lost interest in being involved in the garden. So much has happened in the past two years.
After living in the house for two years, you may have experienced all the types of light that come into the house, but you will be surprised to find that you are still encountering a type of light that you did not know existed. The more time I spend at home with no plans, the more likely I am to encounter them. Even when I dread the days without work, I feel a little relieved when I see that light.
Most of the photos documenting the house are taken with the GR. I continue to be amazed at the balance between speed and quality of this camera, and since I got the GR, I have really started to take more pictures than I did a while ago. I am very grateful for that. Until I leave this house one day, I will try to capture the changes in things and light as much as possible.
Kazuhei Kimura
Born in 1993 in Iwaki, Fukushima. Lives and works in Tokyo. While working in the fields of fashion, film and advertising, he continues to create works that move back and forth between his childhood experiences and his present life. Won the Judges Encouragement Prize (selected by Nozomi Himeno) at the 19th Photography 1_WALL and the Grand Prix at IMA next #6 ‘Black&White'. Major solo exhibitions include 'Ishi to momo (Counterpoint)' (Roll) in 2023 and 'Atarashii mado (The Other Side of the Window)' (Book and Sons) in 2020. Major photobooks include 'Sodemaku' and 'Todai' (both aptp) and 'Atarashii mado (The Other Side of the Window)' (Akaakasha).
Kazuhei Kimura (@kazuheikimura)
