Photograph of Myanmar villager by Yasumoto Kenji.	Photograph of a barber shop in Mandalay by Yasumoto Kenji.

EIGHT Japanese men and women have looked at his photographs’ rich colours and diverse subjects and then decided to visit Myanmar, said Mr Yasumoto Kenji, a Japanese amateur photographer who has travelled to Myanmar five times in the past three years and taken about 5000 photographs.

Mr Kenji comes back again and again out of his own interests.

“I love Myanmar people and the country, that’s why I come here again and again,” he said. He returns to the country to “meet with Myanmar people who are very friendly and…to learn about different lifestyles.”

Mr Kenji’s interest in photography began five years ago after he travelled with a friend who was a photographer. He was intrigued by the art form and decided to try it out for himself.

He said his initial decision to visit Myanmar was, in a way, a similar stroke of luck.

“One day,” he said, “I read a magazine with so many photos of people and countries in Southeast Asia. I saw some photos of Myanmar people’s faces, which were so different from others, so I decided to come to Myanmar to know more about people in Myanmar.”

He said Myanmar people’s faces reflect their sincerity and honesty.

During his trips since December 2002, he has photographed people in Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan, Tachileik, Kengtong, Hsipaw and Lashio. He said he enjoyed capturing people in their daily routine and setting. Sometimes he also stopped to chat with them and learn a little more.

Mr Kenji said he prefers to photograph people because it takes less time than shooting landscapes.

His work stands out because he often reveals an image rarely photographed.

For example, he has a photograph of an Akha woman holding a large rat in her hand and one of an old man having his hair cut in a small, roadside barber shop.

“I like doing something that is different from others’, so I took some strange photos,” he said.

He said he likes to take photos in Myanmar because the country is where Japan was five decades ago. The people are also more willing to be subjects.

“Most people in our country do not like having photos taken of them, but it is different in Myanmar since people love to have their photograph taken.”

Mr Kenji has also travelled through Vietnam taking photographs and then held a photo exhibition of his trip in his home town, Tokoshima. He said he will do an exhibition on Myanmar later this year as well as set up a homepage showing his photographs and “encouraging more Japanese people to visit Myanmar.”