Japan

In the summer of 2015, the NY-based photographer Hiroyuki Ito set out to travel his home country. The Japan I saw was full of contradictions: It was ancient and modern, western and eastern, democratic and feudal, peaceful and anarchic, sacred and profane, anonymous and unique—just to name a few. It is a pretty complex character with a lot of charm and a lot of issues. Opposing forces create dynamic tensions that drive you crazy and keep you going. Going where? I don't know. But the country is forever moving forward and my job is to document its endlessly fascinating paradoxes.