Freelance photographer Yu-ki Matsuoka wanted to find somewhere where a good life was not necessarily measured by money and status alone. He found it in a market in Yokohama, Japan.
Kyoto-born Yu-ki, a 32-year-old now based in Tokyo, says the market is one of only a few like it remaining in Japan.
“It’s a traditional market located in the centre of the city,” says
the photographer.“It is packed – 20,000 people visit at weekends.”
Someone who really caught Yu-ki’s eye was an elderly man – Mr. Ogawa.
“He was an ex-gambler turned book seller. Every time I went to the market, he was the first person I spoke to. He told me many stories of his life. He was a good gambler but he said he spent all his winnings on women and alcohol.
I loved the expression on his face – a mixture of sorrow and happiness. I imagine many people in the market have stories like him to tell”.
“Going to the market made me realize there is another form of happiness
not ruled just by money. It is true to say that Japan is full of money worshippers
but we also have a warm community where you buy simple things with a smile on
your face”.
Yu-ki’s gallery, entitled Good Ordinary People, was shot with
Mamiya 645ProTL and Nikon F90X cameras and a strobe light.
Yu-ki held his first solo exhibition in 2006 which was attended by 400 people and where he sold eight pictures taken in Morocco.
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