In America

Through images defined by curiosity and empathy, Fumi offers intimate portrayals of the people she meets and the time she spends with them. 

As a Japanese artist now living in America, Fumi brings a unique perspective. Her projects often span years as she immerses herself in the communities that capture her interest. Documented in books like Marching Wolves (2022) and Dora, Yerkwood, Walker County, Alabama (2023), these projects reflect her desire to capture her subjects on a deeper level.

The images presented here are part of this ongoing project of capturing everyday life in America. Taken in New York and Texas in December 2024, they showcase tender moments of intimacy and connection, all reflecting Fumi’s compassionate approach to photography.

“Since 2016, when there was the presidential election, I didn’t really have much of an idea about America, except for New York and big cities. But that election made me curious about the country, and I started paying more attention to what was happening in this place that had been my home for such a long time,” Fumi says.

“When I started my project in Alabama, I had a friend who lived across the street, and she was from this small town. She took me to where she grew up. Apart from through her, I didn’t have access to small places in the U.S. I’m not from here. I’m from Japan.”

“People in New York are familiar with photography, but people in small towns aren’t to the same extent,” Fumi notes. “They might have taken photos for school yearbooks or everyday events like that, but photography isn’t as much a part of daily life as it is in big cities. So, in the beginning, it took time for me to make them trust me. A lot of people said no because they thought I was going to charge money or sell their pictures online. I had to build a relationship from the start to be trusted to take their photos for the first time. There was a lot of work outside of photography, and it became my life’s work. It became more than photography to me,” she explains.

Fumi says that, for her, it is essential to feel authentically intrigued by what she photographs. You get the sense that she invests a lot of emotional energy into her projects.

“I’m always open, but I have to be inspired to start a personal project. If someone tells me what to do, then it becomes more like a job. For my personal projects, it has to be about my vision. So, I always put myself in situations that challenge me and allow me to experience things first, to see if there’s something I can start, a long-term project. Since I like projects that last for years, I need to make sure that what I commit to is something I can really dig deep into.”

In her photography, she strives to remove all barriers that might stand between her and the individuals she portrays. “When I photograph people, I don’t want there to be a boundary between the subject and myself. I don’t want to be seen as ‘the photographer’ who takes photos of ‘them.’ It’s more about real friends spending time together, and I want to capture them being themselves. A lot of times, they get nervous or feel like they have to give me something. It’s very important for me to build trust.”

Where does she find beauty as a photographer? “I think beauty comes from within. I’m interested in intriguing people and their life stories. I see myself as a storyteller, and I tell the stories of the people I photograph. That’s what I see as beauty.”

Fumi became a photographer by chance. After high school in Japan, she studied hotel management and tourism but knew she wanted to pursue creative work. During a trip to New York, her life took a new turn.

“I didn’t come to New York to become a photographer, but to find a creative field I could pursue,” Fumi says. She met a Japanese hairdresser who was looking for a roommate and moved in with him. As it happened, her roommate had old issues of Street, a Japanese magazine focused on street fashion and culture outside Japan. The issues were all about London.

Since she lived in New York, she thought that photos of the city’s street life would be a good fit for the magazine. She pitched her idea to Street’s editor, who took a chance on her. When she turned in the images she had taken of people in New York, the editor offered her a job as a regular contributing photographer.

Although photography was never Fumi’s plan, it is now an essential part of her life, having grown naturally from her love for the medium. Today, she works with clients such as The New York Times, New York Magazine, and Vogue, as well as brands like Louis Vuitton and Dior. But what first drew her to the medium remains the same: meeting and connecting with people.