Bio

Freelance Documentary Photographer based in Tokyo, Japan and London, UK currently open for assignment.

Since my childhood spent in China, Pakistan, England, and Japan, I have always been interested in the diversity of experience of people around the world. My curiosity drives me to engage with these subjects to develop a rapport, and often a story results about how what makes them tick in the context of the wider world. I aim to use my curiosity as the drive to allow the experience of people to shine through.

Visit Akiko at Facebook.

Notable Past Projects:

  • Myanmar in the Here and Now (2014) — This project documented the fast changing minority landscape in Myanmar and was published in the Mainichi paper.
  • Living with Memory: A Story from a Philippine Village (2014-16) — This project documented Philippine victims of sexual violence during World War II.
  • Tattoo Legend Confronts the Past (2015) — This project documented the last traditional tattoo artist of the Kalinga tribe, Whang Od, in North Luzon in the Philippines and was published in the Mainichi paper.
  • Jiji and Kinako (2017) — This project was a personal story for me and documented the love of a cat and an older man during the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and was picked up by many Alzheimer’s organisations around the world.


Awards:
RPS (Royal Photographic Society/ 英国王立写真協会) International photography exhibition – Shortlist
Bob & Diane Fund (2017) – Finalist
ipa (International Photographers Award) People -Lifestyle (2017) – Honorable Mentions
ipa (International Photographers Award) Event – Traditions and Cultures (2017) – Honorable Mentions
IWPA (International Women Photographers Award) – Shortlist (2018)
ipa (International Photographers Award) Editorial – Photo Essay and Feature Story (2018) – Honorable Mentions


Her photographs have appeared in:
The Washington Post, The Huffington Post Japan, Mainichi Weekly, Metro.co.uk, Livedoor News,  FOX News, #Photographers Magazine, People.com, Yahoo News, My Modern Met, The DoDo,  UOL, Gazeta.PL, イロリオ, Hankook Ilbo(Korea Times), A DAY MAGAZINE, Country Living Magazine,  . . .and so on.


Schedule for the next few months
– Photo exhibition on “Jiji and Kinako on Washi” will be at Sway Gallery London, from 12 to 25th April in 2018
– Travelling to Japan in July (open for bookings)
– Travelling to the U.S. in late December (open for bookings)