11、 Reverie (Ikenochaya-rindo; October)

 
<Pentax645NⅡ Sonnar CF180/4  F5,6  11min   FUJI RVP50>
 
Clouds drift by.  I ponder a universe of reverie.
The moon shines.  I yearn a world of tolerance 
 

１２、 Mihamaura on a Moonlit Night (Toda; December)

 
<Hasselblad 503cw Planar CFE80/2,8  F5,6 　8min  FUJI RVP50>    
 
On the ocean outside the harbor of Toda on a moonlit night, I followed the movement of the moon from midnight to dawn.
Small fishing boats head towards another day of gillnetting, their lights drifting beautifully among the waves.
 

１３、Poet of the Moon   (Sanagi Pass, December)

 
<Pentax645NⅡ Sonnar CF 180/4  F5,6 15min FUJI RVP50>
 
The light emitted by the moon is only four hundred sixty-five thousandth of the light emitted by the sun.  Yet, the brightness of a full moon is -12.7 m.
It is the brightest satellite in our solar system that orbits a planet.  Incidentally, the second brightest satellite is Io of Jupiter at -11.3 m.  
Saint Myoue, the Kamakura-era monk known as the “poet of the moon”, sought to depict the brightness of the moon in the following waka-poem: 
“Shiny-shiny shine, shiny-shiny-shiny shine, shiny-shiny shine, shiny-shiny-shiny shine, so shiny-shiny moon”
He used the words “shiny-shiny” to portray the bright full moon.  One of the greatest pleasures I get from shooting Mt. Fuji is to roam the mid-winter countryside in search for the moon-lit image of Fuji emerging from the darkness.
 

 １４、Moon Climbing  (Lake Yamanaka, August)

 
<Nikon D800E  Planar 1,4/85 ZF2  F2,8  0,6sec  Digital>
 
The peak season for climbing Mt. Fuji arrives in July and August.  Last year, more than 300 thousand people attempted to conquer the highest peak in Japan.  Climbers start their ascent during the night so that they can reach the summit in time to watch the revered sunrise.
A full moon happened to occur on this particular night, creating an effect as if people were climbing up a staircase leading to the moon.
 

１５、Senganmon under the Moonlight  (Senganmon, February)

 
<Hasselblad 503cw Planar  CFE80/2,8   F5,6  12min   FUJI RVP50>
 
Scenery surrounding Mt. Fuji come in profuse variety — it is full of scenery unknown and unfathomable.
Somebody once asked me “Why would you place Mt. Fuji in the corner of your picture?”  Putting the majestic Mt. Fuji right in the middle of the frame will catch the attention of any viewer.  But when I am able to position Mt. Fuji perfectly within a grand panoramic landscape, just like when the master artist drew in the eyes of a rendering of a dragon so perfectly that it came alive and ascended to the heavens, that picture becomes more attractive to me and enables me to feel the universe.  A deep sense of satisfaction fills me when I am able to discover such composition.
 

１６、A Drop of Moonlight   (Hakone, December) 

 
<Hasselblad 503cw Sonnar CF180 /4   F5,6  6sec  FUJI RVP50>
 
It has been a long time since I last heard my own heart beating.
It is a night of a full moon — the lakeside is immersed in fog that can be seen from the hills above.
Moonlight shines brightly onto the sea of clouds.
As time goes by, the fog shifts and moves and changes hues as it reflects the light from the shores of the lake.
The full moon will set behind the slopes of Mt. Fuji less than 20 minutes before sunrise.
By illuminating Mt. Fuji and the sea of clouds against the dawn sky, the moonlight will create wonderful dreamy colors.   
The hues created by nature defies all human knowledge but lasts for only a moment.
“What scenery will I encounter next?  Will I be able to capture its beauty?”
 

１７、Surfscape under the Moon 　(Toi Coast, February)

 
<Pentax645NⅡ Sonnar CF150/4  F5,6  8min   FUJI RVP50>
 
The raging billows glisten under the full moon.
They swallow up the moonlight and rush towards the shore insistently.
The message from the winds from distant oceans crashes into the rocks with a roaring sound.
It imprints upon the photo film a surfscape under the moon.
 

１８、Mirror in the Sky  (Lake Yamanaka, February)

 
<Nikon D800E Distagon 2/35 ZF2  F8  15sec  Digital >
 
 A dreamy dawn.  The sacred mountain shining under the moon… Oh, so simply beautiful.
 

１９、A Spectacle at Sea（Kumomihama February）

<Pentax645NⅡ Sonnar  CF150/4  F5,6 17min  FUJI RVP50>
 
Strange and mysterious looking rocks protrude from the waters of Kumomihama and stand beside Mt. Fuji.
My eyes become fixed on the intriguing shape of the rocks that resemble a sphinx or some wild animal.
The rhythm of the crashing waves, the dark surface of the rocks, the snow on Mt. Fuji looming far away…
On this night of the full moon, a spectacle at sea is about to begin.
 

２０、Jewelbox in the Highlands  (Takabocchi Highlands, December)

 
<Nikon D800E Distagon 2/35 ZF2  F8  15sec  Digital >
 
 At this certain location, the sun rises closest to Mt. Fuji in December.  On a clear night with a full moon, the city lights of Suwa sparkles like a jewel box.  The mountains, barely visible at night but for the faint white snow on its peaks, start to show their distinctive features as the day breaks.  Yatusgatake, the Three Peaks of Hououzan, Kai-Komagatake, Kitadake, Senjogatake, Akaishidake, Kiso-Komagatake.  If you look around, you can take in all of the Japan Alps — the Southern, Central and Northern Alps — in one view.  After a photo shoot, I turned around and noticed that the moon was about to set behind the left slope of Yarigatake.  As it moved closer to the ridge, the moon seemed to show slight hues of yellow against the deep blue mountains of the Northern Alps at dawn.