Modernité, tradition, mégapole, nature, frénésie, calme…
Le Japon est une terre de contraste. Découvrez une nouvelle vision de cette contrée, si éloignée en tous points de la notre, à travers les photos, les articles et le blog LeJapon.fr.
Pour voir le Japon autrement !

A propos des auteurs :

David Michaud est photographe/caméraman et journaliste vivant au Japon depuis 2007, après avoir été Directeur Artistique/Consultant Web à Paris. Traitant de nombreux sujets photographiques pour divers clients, c’est en 2002 qu’il se focalise sur le Japon à la suite d’un premier voyage, et crée le site Internet LeJapon.fr. Son blog devient au fil du temps une référence sur le pays, lui valant d’être cité dans de nombreux magazines et d’être l’invité d’émissions de télévision/radio. Après quelques expositions (galeries et salons comme Japan Expo), David Michaud sort 2 livres en 2009 : « JAPON » et « Traditionnel Japon » aux éditions Chêne, tous deux reçoivent d’excellentes critiques, et sont recommandés dans de nombreux magazines (voir « Revue de Presse » ) tels que GEO (Nov. 09), Ushuaia (Juil. 09), Paris Match (Déc. 09) et Le Monde (Déc. 09). Mais cela ne s’arrête pas là car en Septembre 2010 est paru « JAPON : 365 Us et Coutumes » , en Février 2011 « Le Japon – Grands Voyageurs » … et enfin Septembre 2011 « Japon Vu de l’Intérieur » !

Photo prise par Paul Perpere – www.monsieurpaul.com

Valérie Fujita is born in the suburb of Paris to a humble family, half raised by my grand-mother and one third of my weeks spent in the country, I started to develop an interest in drawing, attracted by nature, animals, and little dead birds that I used to pick up in the streets and burry in the garden. Then, at the age of 13, photography imposed itself to me as the media to express my feelings and views. These interests grew inside of me the roots of observation for small details that people don’t notice, a fascination for what is hidden, beyond eyes, that is still up-to-date for making Diane Arbus’ quote mine: “A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you the less you know.”

But life isn’t that simple and years decide to put on your way many tricks… And your dreams reveal that they cannot always succeed so easily. Photography being a passion that requires some heavy investment, and as the era of digital wasn’t yet there, I had to put up with forgetting photography for a while, and I concentrated on writing, through studying communications and journalism.

In 2006, I decided to pick up a camera again, and started to photograph visual bands concerts in Paris, under the recommandations of my best friend. Photographing concerts gave me real pleasant moments, especially when I had to find my place between tall and sturdy boys. However, it is only since I left France for Japan in 2008, to join my beloved, that I’ve pursued photography on serious grounds.

Although I’ve been introduced to Eastern Asia in the 1990’s, through Marguerite Duras’ novels and a first trip to Thailand, it is my first trip to Japan, in 2006, that achieved in me the idea that it was the part of the planet where I wanted to live. Destiny made it all. Japan and its mix of Buddhas and avant-garde extreme looks, spirituality and Nippon-centered consumerism, temples and syncretism, modern buildings and old grandmas walking with a stoop, the megalopolis and its people, everything proposed to me became an enchantment.

I am pursuing my goal of building a database of 500 travel images from Japan for Lonely Planet.
I recently became a contributor to Getty Images after some of my pictures were noticed on Flickr.
I joined Japan-i publications as a writer/contributor for their fashion pages to fulfill my interest for Japanese street fashion and for writing.