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Whats Past is Past

Posted by Duncan Galbraith (kyoto, Japan) on 26 January 2007 in People & Portraits and Portfolio.

I was walking around the Kyoto Station area prior to knuckling down at the grindstone for the day, and had a mind to try and get some rail stuff, inspired by Maoyas recent, and most wonderful series (Lines and The Coming). Anyway, I came across a walk over which seemed to be barricaded off, with an elderly japanese gentlemen manning the barrier. In an embarrassingly bad attempt to enquire as to whether or not the route was in fact ok, I was most relieved when his second language skills proved far more capable than my own. We got to chatting about this and that, and eventually he began to talk about his past, and produced the photos above. These were taken during the occupation of Japan, he was 23. He really was the most lovely chap. I managed to get his working schedule and promised to pay him a visit again, as he mostly walks the same beat. The fact he was still working at his age knocked me for six. Anyway, I'll be posting his portrait tomorrow, and he's got the website address, although he admitted he's never turned on a computer in his life. If you do manage to get online my friend, Thanks for the chat, and for sharing what you obviously hold dear.
Domo Arigatou Gozaimasu.
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FUJIFILM FinePix S9000
1/450 second
F/5.6
ISO 80
8 mm

portrait
japan
hiroshima
survivor