Inujima Diaries🫧 From Industrial Past to Artistic Present and Photo Tips to Capture It All ‪📷💭

Our second day on Inujima was all about discovering the island’s fascinating history and learning how to capture its beauty through the lens of a camera🤳🏖️

【Ruins to Revitalization】

We started with a visit to the Inujima Seirensho Art Museum, a truly unique space built on the remains of a former copper refinery. The museum embodies the concept of “using what exists to create what is to be”, a powerful vision rooted in sustainability, art, architecture, and the environment. I found this idea deeply inspiring. In a time when climate change is a global concern, reusing the past to shape the future is more relevant than ever🌍💫


During a historical session, Mr.Hashitume shared that Inujima once stood as one of Japan’s top copper producers. For years, the smelter thrived, but eventually, a combination of economic recession, management challenges, and rapid industrial advancements led to its closure in 1919. While the industry brought prosperity to both the island and the nation, it also left behind problems, especially in the form of industrial waste.

Summer🍉
Autum🍂


Interestingly, a Japanese poet named Ota Ikuo, who worked as a teacher on the island at the time, wrote a poem titled Doku Kemuri (“Poison Smoke”) to express the damaging efforts of the smelter as they happened. This historical layer adds even more depth to the museum, which now houses art that uses the unique light, texture, and atmosphere of the abandoned refinery to challenge how we think about progress and modernity🪄︎︎.︎︎⟡*


Beyond the art architecture, we also took a moment to simply appreciate the natural world around us to pause, breathe and feel present🍃


















【Time to eat🥣】

After the historical session, we were treated to a wonderful homemade lunch by the local Inujima grandmothers.

It was incredibly delicious, especially the island-style sushi made with local ingredients and the fresh red shiso juice.🤤💞



















【Click with Meaning 👀✔】

Later, we had a special photography workshop with a professional photographer who taught us how to make our photos more powerful and meaningful. Here are the five key techniques he shared:


  1. Power Spot Framing – Centring your subject for impact 

  2. Foreground / Midground / Background – Centring depth in your shots

  3. Story Shooting – Capturing emotion, not just scenery

  4. Rule of Third (⅓ vs ⅔ balance) – For dynamic, eye-pleasing composition

  5. Bonus Challenge –Making boring look interesting!


We put those techniques into action and created our own visual stories. 

Check out my photo below!  My personal take on capturing the soul of Inujima!!


Inujima taught us to look beyond what meets the eye to value what remains, reflect on history, and find beauty in the everyday😌📓


【Inujima photo dump】

　
Perfect season for hydrangeas💙
Inujima kitty 🐈‍⬛ 🐾
Ice cream enthusiast🍨🥄.⋆𝜗𝜚
Blooming with Photography tips✧ʚïɞ✧



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