List of winners of the 2016 Club Tourism Calendar Photo Contest
We are looking for photos of "travel memories" taken during your travels. The winners of the photo contest will receive local specialties from all over Japan.
In addition, the photographs submitted will be published in brochures and on our website, so please apply.
Please download and use the latest Club Tourism calendar.
2016 Club Tourism Calendar Contest
Announcement of the winners
Thank you to everyone who applied to the 2016 Club Tourism Calendar Photo Contest. After rigorous judging from 8,094 entries, eight works were awarded prizes: one Grand Prize, two Excellence Prizes, and five Honorable Mentions. Congratulations! There were many excellent works that unfortunately did not win, making the judging extremely difficult. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone who applied.
*"PN" on this page stands for pen name.
Comment by Mr. Takeshi Mizukoshi
He won the 18th Domon Ken Award for his photo collection "Forest Archipelago." He has also received numerous other awards, including the Japan Professional Photographers Society Annual Award and the Kodansha Publishing Culture Award. He is one of Japan's leading nature photographers, continuing to capture the magnificent workings of the natural world on a global scale. He recently published "Journey to the Midday Stars" (Shinchosha), a compilation of his photography spanning half a century.
Club Tourism Calendar 2016
Of the submitted works, eight winning works have been selected to be featured in the 2016 Club Tourism Calendar.
Please feel free to use it.
Grand Prize
The closest church to heaven
Author: PN.Dobby (living in Hyogo Prefecture)
Lake Tekapo fades into night.
Just above is the Milky Way, the Southern Cross and the Magellanic Clouds.
A town of several hundred people with subdued light sources.
The stars sparkle in every direction, and soon...
Countless lights shine down on the building, floating in the twilight.
I feel this is the church closest to heaven.
Comment
This is a wonderful work that brings out the deep mystique of the famous "Church of the Good Shepherd." The difficult exposure of the colors of the night sky, the brilliance of the stars, the steps in front of the church, etc., is meticulously calculated, and the church is almost at its limit, as if it would lose its balance if it were given any more presence. The artist's high level of technique and sense of composition are mature. It's a work that never tires of being looked at, as it brings to mind one association after another.
Excellence Award
Sparkling cherry blossoms at night
Author: Yutaka Imada (resident of Hyogo Prefecture)
I went to Takada Park, which is said to be one of the three best night cherry blossom viewing spots in Japan. As the sun went down, Takada Castle was lit up against the deep blue sky and the cherry blossoms in full bloom stood out. The surrounding colors were reflected on the surface of the moat, and I was able to capture the fantastical scenery I had imagined.
Comment
The key to success was the lens selection at a time when darkness was deepening. This was a beautiful moment when the light of the cherry blossoms in full bloom was giving off an air of mystery. Furthermore, the expression of perspective, including the cherry blossoms hanging down in the foreground, is exquisite. The photographer must have carefully chosen this composition before taking the photograph. You can sense his unwavering confidence.
Long-cherished wish
Author: Miyagi Mayu (lives in Shiga Prefecture)
"I want to see it live at least once in my life." This is a photo I took while I was overwhelmed by the magnificent Nebuta that was swaying back and forth and approaching me right before my eyes. It was a night where I was fascinated by the traditional colors floating against the jet black background.
Comment
The bold framing fills the entire frame, conveying the excitement of the festival. The overwhelming power of the Nebuta floats against the backdrop of the night sky. The photographer must have focused sharply to convey the vividness of the colors. This work expresses the photographer's feelings as it is.
*In no particular order
Honorable Mention
Early Summer Flower Garden
Author: Ikuo Yakushi (resident of Kanagawa Prefecture)
Yamanakako Village Flower City Park is a wonderful photo spot where you can enjoy seasonal flowers from spring to autumn with the World Heritage site of Mt. Fuji in the background.
The combination of the beautiful Mt. Fuji and the flowers in full bloom makes for a great photo opportunity.
I hope you all will come and visit.
Comment
Without including too many elements in the picture, the simple composition of Mt. Fuji, a flower field, and the early summer sky expresses the freshness that is unique to this season. The photographer seems to like taking pictures of flower landscapes. Because he photographed what he felt was "beautiful," the work is relaxing for the viewer as well.
Uyuni salt lake
Author: Mitsuo Ichikawa (living Tokyo)
I had always wanted to visit the Uyuni Salt Flats in Bolivia at least once in my life. I had seen videos of it and thought I knew how amazing it was, but when I actually saw the endless flat world, I couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.
Comment
The sense of unity between the endless lake surface and the sky is fantastical. By not clearly showing where the horizon is, a unique world has been created. The environment is one in which the amount of clouds and the color of the sky affect everything, but the timing is just right. This is a work that stirs up travel desires and makes you think, "I want to go there once."
Komagatake in beautiful autumn colors
Artist: Kazumasa Yoshida (resident of Nara Prefecture)
As soon as we got off the ropeway, the first thing that caught our eye was the golden Senjojiki Cirque covering the entire mountainside. We were overwhelmed by its breathtaking beauty.
I waited for the clouds to appear and then pressed the shutter. "I'm grateful to Senjojiki Cirque."
Comment
The autumn leaves in the mountains change quickly, but this is a lucky piece that was blessed with all the natural conditions. The mountain surface has a sense of scale and makes you want to take a deep breath. The colors of the deciduous broadleaf trees, such as rowan and Erman's birch, are bright and pleasing to the eye. It really conveys the pure air of the mountains.
Climbing dragon mountain cherry blossoms
Author: Hisayoshi Murakoshi (resident of Hyogo Prefecture)
The wild cherry blossoms of Namegodani in Nara are the latest to bloom in the Kansai region.
This photo was taken from a national highway at an altitude of about 1000 meters.
In the absence of local flowering information, we made a guess based on last year's information and this year's temperatures.
The mountain cherry blossoms at the top of the mountain are in full bloom.
I was able to take the photo at just the right time.
Comment
Who would have thought that the remaining natural forest on the mountain ridge could create such a magnificent landscape! The angle the photographer discovered is amazing. The color processing of the light and shadow areas is also bold, making this a very impressive piece. You can see that the photographer put a lot of effort into the composition, paying attention to even the four corners of the screen.
Midwinter Hill (Biei Hills Hokkaido)
Author: Mieko Takasaki (living in Osaka Prefecture)
I love the scenery of Biei and keep going there. On the last day of my trip, the weather finally cleared up, and I found a tree standing majestically in the white and blue world. I took a picture by positioning it so that its shadow was directly below it. The shadow looked like the roots of the tree, and I felt the strength of life.
Comment
A lone tree standing in a snowy field. Perhaps it was the photographer's mental image, but he probably chose a day with a cloudless sky to press the shutter. The sun is far from the tree, which shows the photographer's intentions. Vertical photos are often chosen when there is a subject that needs to be emphasized, and this photo is a prime example of this.
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