In preparation for the Yokohama Photo Festival to be held in 2012,
we will be holding an international festival as a pre-event in January of 2011 at Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse Number 1, featuring a portfolio review, photo exhibition and symposiums.
Yokohama is already famous for one of its photography pioneers, Renjo Shimo’oka, who opened one of the country’s first photography studio in Noge. 2012 marks the 150-year anniversary of his studio’s opening and our event coincides with this.

What exactly does photography give to a particular area?
What possibilities does photography hold for the future?

Based on a visionary program, this international festival will investigate Japanese photography as it relates to international society here in Yokohama, where Japanese photography was born. We hope to join hands with local and regional residents as guests from all over the world visit, discover and participate in Yokohama through discussion. We want to create a photography hometown: a city where such dynamism is possible. We kick off the event in Yokohama, where global meets local. We hope you feel the pulse of photographic culture as it moves forward.