Shimo’oka Renjo opened Yokohama’s first photo studio in Noge, and 2012 marks the 150-year anniversary of that event. In those 150 years, techniques and production have advanced rapidly, countless photographers have emerged, and photography has spread as a culture phenomenon with a myriad facets.

In this context, We turn to what the unprecedented tragedy that befell Japan on March 11th brought into focus: a mentality that encompasses morale, our view of nature and the bonds that bound so many Japanese together. Photographs gave people strength and showed the way forward.

Now that anyone can touch, see and feel the power of photography, the medium can act as a screen reflecting the mentality and endeavors of the Japanese, while spreading important messages. As the paradigm shifts and we reconsider the growing role of photography in the present, we prepare for Yokohama Photo Festival 2012.