The highlight of the solo exhibition is the orderly beauty captured from a bird's-eye view, a perspective only possible with drone photography.

—What were your thoughts when you received the offer to participate in this exhibition?

"To be honest, I still wonder, 'What will happen?' (laughs). It's a strange feeling, wondering what people who come to the exhibition will think when they see my photos. I've held solo exhibitions in the past in the form of events. I'd like to do another one once the current chaos calms down. For this exhibition at ISETAN MEN'S , I'll also be showing photos I took using a drone both domestically and internationally."

— I hear there are some exhibits that are unique to ISETAN MEN'S store.

"Currently, taking photos with a drone is quite difficult due to regulations and procedural issues. This time, we're printing aerial photos onto T-shirts and tote bags for sale, and many of the photos used on these items depict scenes that can no longer be photographed due to current legal regulations. They include shots of highways in Nagoya, basketball courts in Hong Kong, and photos taken from a cafe in Sangenjaya with the owner's permission. I believe we'll be able to exhibit photos of scenes that can no longer be seen."

When asked what scenery he most wants to photograph right now, he simply replied, "Almost everything."


"Shinjuku, Shibuya, Tokyo Tower, Tokyo Skytree, the Arc de Triomphe in Paris... There are countless places I'd like to photograph, mainly cities and streetscapes, but it's quite difficult in reality because I need permission for all of them. Incidentally, I can't fly my drone up to the height of Tokyo Skytree. The height restriction for the machine itself is 500m, but under Japanese law, I can only fly it up to 150m. However, if I could, for example, launch the drone from a helicopter, I think I could take pictures from the top of Tokyo Skytree, but I think that's 100% impossible right now. But I'd like to try it someday."

—A simple question, but after purchasing a drone, can anyone fly it?


"There's an exam to pass, and after applying to the Director of the Tokyo Civil Aviation Bureau and getting permission, you can fly it. Besides that, what you need to fly it is courage and restraint. It's an expensive piece of equipment, so if it crashes, that's the end of it. Also, if it hits a highway or directly hits a moving car, it could become a major disaster that involves loss of life, so in that sense, I think you need courage while adhering to the regulations. In the past, most people who used drones were elderly and wealthy. For example, they would fly drones from yachts to take pictures of people from above, mainly people who used them as a hobby. I also started by flying them in rice fields, but I didn't find it fun to take pictures of rice fields, the sea, or mountains, so I shifted my focus to wanting to take pictures of places that no one had taken pictures of before, and started taking pictures of cities and towns. Regulations in Japan were strict, and there weren't many places to take pictures at the time, so at first I just went overseas to take pictures."

—What message do you want to convey through this exhibition?


"This time, there are many works taken from an aerial perspective, so I hope you will appreciate the beauty of the aerial views, but also the fact that any landscape becomes incredibly minimalist, and feel that kind of orderly beauty. For example, a big city on a holiday is crowded with people and very chaotic, but even such a place looks very beautiful when viewed from directly above. The beauty of the solidly formed structures unique to man-made objects also stands out. Furthermore, with the full cooperation of everyone at Isetan, we have obtained special permission to exhibit works that were taken from above the Isetan Shinjuku store. I hope you will enjoy these parts, and that this will be an opportunity for you to reconsider the perspective of an aerial view."