My friend from college came to Tokyo and started to share flat with 3 of his friends. After I visited them several times, I started photographing them. Because I was just shooting streetphotography until then, I think that when I started to take picture of them, I was like bystander, trying to capture something like ”Modern youth”. If I look back now, it was just, my jealousy on them doing well everything easily, looking like nothing to worry about.
But the distance between us shrunk little by little, and I started to see the other side of them. They are also living with frustration, jealousy, vanity and worry like me. Then I started to feel comfortable staying with them. Maynbe, both I and they wanted a place like safety zone after all.
大学時代の同級生たちが上京して四人暮らしを始めた。何度か遊びに行くうちに彼らの写真を撮るようになった。それまでストリートスナップばかり撮っていた僕は、撮り始めた時は傍観者のように、「現代の若者」みたいなものを捉えてやろうという感じだったと思う。今思い返せば軽やかで何事も要領よくこなす彼らに対する嫉妬の表れでもあったかもしれない。半ば居候みたいな状態で写真を撮る内に彼らとの距離は縮まり、人間臭いところも見えてきた。僕と同じように焦燥感や嫉妬、虚栄を抱え悩みながら彼らも生きていた。いつしか僕も彼らとの生活に安心感を覚え始めた。僕も彼らも結局、安全地帯のような場所を求めていたのかもしれない。