Amami photo exhibition opens in Kagoshima, 1 year since Natural Heritage Site registration

Mitsuaki Murakami (right) and Futoshi Hamada posing at the selfie spot of the venue

On July 19, a photo exhibition “Amami – Eternal Nature and Culture (奄美悠久の自然と文化),” commemorating the first anniversary of the registration of Amami Island as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site, opened at the Unitement Garden on the fourth floor of Maruya Gardens.

The Kagoshima Photographic Society organized the exhibition. The society consists of 20 organizations, including professional and amateur photographers, and has approximately 400 members. Twenty-one photographers from the prefecture and twenty from Amami are participating in the exhibition, wishing to “celebrate the first anniversary of the registration in Kagoshima.” Approximately 210 works have been submitted.

Photographers involved in wildlife research, such as Futoshi Hamada, a researcher on the ecology of the Amami rabbit (Pentalagus furnessi), and Katsuki Oki, the director of the Amami Marine Life Research Association, are also participating in the exhibition. Mitsuaki Murakami, the chairman of the photographic society, said, “Never before have we had such an opportunity to bring together all of the top photographers from Amami and Kagoshima.”

At the exhibition, visitors can enjoy photographs of an Amami rabbit raising its young, virgin forests that make people feel as if they have “stepped back in time to the Jurassic period,” a banyan tree with a root circumference of 30 meters, and rare plants and insects. Thirteen photographers went deep into the forests of Amami twice in June and July for this exhibition.

Other works on display include those of humpback whales, coral, and other sea creatures, as well as photographs of Amami’s culture, landscape, and festivals. Murakami said, “There are eight inhabited islands in Amami, but they are so diverse that it can be said that we have eight different theme parks. Not only the nature but also the culture is unique. We are confident that the exhibition offers a rich variety of photographs.”

The exhibition will also feature events: 24th (from 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m), Shima Uta, traditional island song, concerts by the Koreeda sisters who learned Shima Uta on Tokunoshima Island; 26th (from 2:00 p.m.), a recitation of the Amami rabbit picture book; and 31st (from 11:30 a.m.), a lecture by Futoshi Hamada on the Amami rabbit.

The exhibition is open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. until August 2. Admission is 500 yen.