Natsuki Yasuda (Photojournalist) ⇔ Susumu Namikawa (Dentsu Inc. Business Creation Center)

Couldn't we pass on the thoughts about the future of advertising that I explored in my book released this March, Communication Shift: From "Selling Things" to Communication that "Improves Society" (Hatori Shoten), like passing a baton to the next person?
That's the thought behind this exchange of letters. I write a letter along with a book to someone I think should read it. Then I receive a reply.

It's just that simple.
Ah, it's just that simple.

Before the series began, I naively thought, "Sending letters to start a series? That's easy, a piece of cake."
I agonized over the contradiction between the deeply private act of writing a letter to someone and the act of publishing it publicly as a serial. I wrote, then decided against it, rewrote, and repeated this cycle. I even considered starting a separate serial titled "Unsent Letters on Communication Shift."

 

So, it's been quite a while, but for the second installment, we have photojournalist Natsuki Yasuda.
Our first connection was when Ms. Yasuda wrote her impressions of my book Happy Birthday 3.11 (Asuka Shinsha) for a photography magazine.

As a photojournalist, Ms. Yasuda has continued to cover children around the world. After the Great East Japan Earthquake, she published "3.11 Through the Viewfinder" (Genshobo, co-authored) and has since been advancing "reconstruction support activities through photography."
Despite witnessing incredibly painful scenes firsthand and surely feeling conflicted about photographing them, I was struck by his sun-like smile and aura when I first met him.

I always felt conflicted.
Whenever I tried to convey something for society, I doubted myself. I wondered if the act of "conveying"—which should be a means—had somehow become an end in itself within me, and if I was using the "subjects" or "objects" I was conveying for that purpose.

To shake off that doubt, I would push myself until I was utterly exhausted, until I couldn't think anymore. I would sweat it out, and then the doubt would vanish. That was the only thing I could do.

That's why I wanted to ask Mr. Yasuda.
The reason behind that straightforward smile.

But I couldn't quite put it into words well, and somehow it turned into a roundabout letter. Yet Ms. Yasuda gave me a straight answer.

---

Ms. Natsuki Yasuda, hello.

The reason I thought of writing you a letter is that
I've always wanted to talk with you properly,
and you were at the top of my list of people I haven't had a proper conversation with.

Both you and I
make our living by "communicating."

As a photojournalist,
continuously conveys information about developing countries and disaster-stricken areas through his photographs.

Through my work in advertising—also about "communicating"—
constantly grappling with how I can contribute to society,
while constantly wrestling with this question.

At some point, I began to realize that "communicating" alone might not always solve problems,
and I began to think that sometimes "communicating" alone cannot solve problems.
like actual support activities. For example, on a personal level,
decontamination work in Fukushima.

It just doesn't feel right.

I just can't stay at the level of just communicating anymore.

When faced with problems that need solving,
even if I can't solve them with my own skills alone,
I find myself wanting to reach out to others and figure something out.

Still, my skill lies in communicating,
there are still things that can be resolved simply by communicating.

What I wanted to ask Mr. Yasuda was,
how you think about photography.
and
beyond just "communication."
beyond just "communicating."

When I see the many smiles you've captured overseas and in Tohoku,
perhaps, to put it extremely, even if those photos never see the light of day,
through the act of taking pictures,
has already achieved more than half of his purpose.
has already achieved more than half of their goal.
I sometimes think.

Photography,
a kind of energy-generating device
a kind of device
that generates a certain kind of energy.

Looking at Yasuda's photographs,
it's not about passing a baton received from someone from left to right,
is not about "conveying"
but rather that the moment of receiving the baton is what truly matters, that moment is everything.
I sometimes think.

Sorry for the rambling.

After reading "Communication Shift,"
along with your thoughts on it,
I'd be delighted to hear your thoughts.

2014.8.9 Susumu Namikawa

 

To Mr. Namikawa

Thank you for your wonderful letter.
For me too, you are someone I'd love to talk with slowly and deeply,
but seeing how you're constantly flying around—west to east, north to south, sometimes even circling the globe—I couldn't quite muster the courage to reach out.

That's precisely why I'm so happy to have this chance to calmly put my thoughts into words.
(That slightly shy feeling is also part of what makes letters so wonderful, isn't it?)

As Mr. Namikawa said,
Within the direct relationship between "me" and "you,"
I believe a photograph holds no greater value than bringing joy to "you."

I felt this most keenly during the Great East Japan Earthquake.

I think I've told you this before, Mr. Namikawa,
that day in Rikuzentakata, covered in rubble, when I photographed the children's entrance ceremony.
When a child who had been looking down offered a fleeting smile toward the camera,
When tears streamed endlessly from the principal's eyes as he gazed at the group photo,

But once I get past that, I still find myself wanting to do more.
Each time, I sometimes wonder if photography can really accomplish anything.

Even if I press the shutter, it won't clear away the rubble,
It won't fill the bellies of those in shelters, nor heal anyone's injuries.
Even when I want to "convey something," I wonder how much power a photograph really has.

That's why sometimes, I envy doctors.
Because they can directly save the lives of the people right in front of them.

Sometimes, I envy music.
Because countless people must have been saved by that passion and that feeling of elation.

And I always envy the power of advertising.
Because no other job can open so many doors.

But I realized that precisely because these jobs are so enviable,
it's crucial to join hands and bring together what we can each contribute.

I felt this most keenly during the "Search for 3.11" project (※) for the Great East Japan Earthquake recovery, a Yahoo! Search initiative, when Mr. Namikawa reached out to me.

Photographs, music, words, the internet, supporters, and those delivering aid.
Crossing genres, merging, creating chemical reactions.
It made me realize once again that this is the power of "advertising."

In "Communication Shift," Mr. Namikawa wrote, "Nothing is born from a place of 'being satisfied.'" I interpret this to mean that wisdom is born from a state of "not having."

There are so many things I want to do, but can't do alone.
It's precisely because people driven by that frustration and conflict take on these challenges that truly remarkable spaces are born.

I believe Mr. Namikawa's work embodies this very spirit.

"Communication Shift" was packed with so much excitement.
But it doesn't end with just "Ah, that felt good." It leaves a positive, lingering "hook" in your heart.

I can't quite put this feeling into words,
but perhaps it's like planting a seed of possibility in your heart.

What kind of ideas will Mr. Namikawa come up with next?
I look forward to continuing this work of building something beyond mere excitement.

I imagine you're working full steam ahead these days,
so next time, let's have a leisurely chat over some Sanriku seafood to recharge.

With gratitude.

August 19, 2014 Natsuki Yasuda

※"Search for 3.11"
A Yahoo! JAPAN initiative supporting the recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake. When users searched for "3.11" on Yahoo! Search, Yahoo! JAPAN donated 10 yen per search to recovery efforts. The project aimed to encourage people to reflect on the disaster-affected areas and recovery efforts on March 11th, and to transform that reflection into tangible support for recovery. A video titled "Never Forget" was also produced, conveying the project's message alongside photographs and messages by photographer Natsuki Yasuda.
http://promo.search.yahoo.co.jp/searchfor311/