Latest news with #TokyoToiletProject
The Hindu
17-05-2025
- The Hindu
Clean and lean Japan
During my visit to Japan on a family holiday, I was astounded by two features. The first was the pristine cleanliness across the country. As we travelled through big cities and rural areas, public spaces such as parks, markets and train stations and along the seashores, river fronts, ponds and even roadside canals, nowhere did we find any litter; not even a bottle, can, or piece of paper. Surprisingly, when we wanted to dispose of some coffee cups, we just could not locate a trash can. We had no option other than to shove the paper cups in our backpacks. How does the whole of Japan stay squeaky clean? As we travelled further, we realised that cleanliness has been achieved through a strong civic sense in every individual and social norms ingrained as part of the cultural identity. No one eats or drinks while walking on the road or using public transport. Shops that sell snacks request their customers to take the food away and not eat on their premises. In only very few places did we find trash cans that were labelled: plastics, PET bottles, bottles and cans, and combustible garbage. Such segregation is practised in houses, shops and everywhere. Trash neatly packed in white see-through plastic bags is kept on the roadsides and collected by the municipal staff. In most countries, waste disposal is done through land filling, but in Japan with a limited land area, combustible garbage is put in incinerators, with special measures to reduce the release of toxins in the air. 'Reduce, reuse, and recycle', the common slogan for minimising plastic waste is well known, though not widely practised. I was fascinated to learn about furoshiki, a traditional Japanese method of cloth-folding to gift-wrap and make bags. It eliminates the need for paper, plastic, tape, and ribbons. The second aspect that fascinated me was the toilets. The Japanese have combined the best practices of the East and West. It was really an awe-inspiring moment to find, on entering a toilet, a clean and dry floor, the lights getting switched on and the lid opening, automatically. The warm seat and gurgling sound as from a pool lent a feeling of calm. Toilets everywhere in Japan were clean, functioning and adequately stocked. Before the 2020 Olympics, renowned architects were commissioned to build unique public toilets in Tokyo. One such was the transparent glass toilet near the Yoyogi Park. On locking the door from inside, the glass would turn opaque! The Olympics were postponed due to pandemic and later held without spectators. But the Tokyo Toilet Project was shown to the world through a movie, Perfect Days. The protagonist who played the role of a toilet cleaner won the Cannes award for the Best Actor. A penchant for perfection in everything, considerate behaviour, and no PDA (Public Display of Affection) practised by the Japanese were quite amazing. In the 1990s, I was exposed to Total Quality Management that had helped the Japanese to improve their production after the Second World War. TQM started in a steel plant in Jamshedpur, and was implemented in the health sector and town division also. We memorised the 5Ss: sort, set in order, shine, standardise, and sustain, translated from the Japanese words Seiri, Seiton, Seiso, Seiketsu, and Shitsuke. But seeing the larger picture of an entire country kept clean through discipline, with social norms as the driving force was remarkable, though an impossible aspiration for elsewhere. Cleanliness in Japan is rooted in culture. Japan's oldest religion, Shinto is based on worship of nature and the relationship between humans, nature, and the gods. There is no supreme deity in Shinto and no single founder. Shinto believes in religious pluralism, polytheism, and maintaining harmony with nature. Most Japanese are Shintoist, Buddhist or both. As we visited some Shinto shrines and walked through the orange-colored torii gates, my husband wondered, half-whispering, 'We don't know who is the God of the Japanese. Nonetheless, the country is doing great. Let's pray and act towards cleanliness and prosperity for us too.' Truly, cleanliness is next to godliness. vijayacardio@
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
2025 Sony World Photography Awards: Winners revealed
The winners of the 2024 Sony World Photography Awards have been announced, with Zed Nelson named as Photographer of the Year for , a project exploring the fractured relationship between humans and the natural world. Nelson's project takes its name from the term Anthropocene - the current geological epoch where human activity has become the dominant force shaping the Earth's environment. The project explores the tension between the human desire to connect with nature and ongoing environmental degradation. Nelson's constructed environments highlight the growing gap between conservation efforts and ecological destruction. The Anthropocene Illusion goes beyond a documentary, offering a thought-provoking exploration of modern human life in an era shaped by human impact. Nelson's work, selected from the 10 professional competition category winners, triumphed in the wildlife and nature category. Here are the other category winners. The Tokyo Toilet Project by Ulana Switucha (Canada) The Tokyo Toilet Project in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan, is an urban redevelopment initiative aimed at creating modern public restrooms that encourage use. These images are part of a larger series documenting the architectural design of these structures within their urban setting. Rhi-Entry by Rhiannon Adam (United Kingdom) In 2018, Japanese billionaire and art collector Yusaku Maezawa launched a global search for eight artists to join him on a week-long lunar mission aboard SpaceX's Starship, the first civilian deep space flight. The mission would follow a path similar to Apollo 8's 1968 journey, which inspired astronaut Bill Anders to suggest NASA should have sent poets to capture the awe of space. In 2021, Rhiannon Adam was chosen as the only female crew member from one million applicants and for three years she immersed herself in the space industry. Maezawa abruptly cancelled the mission, leaving the crew to pick up the pieces of their disrupted lives - the experience informed Adam's thought provoking project. Divided Youth of Belfast by Toby Binder (Germany) For years, Toby Binder has been documenting the experiences of young people born after the peace agreement in Northern Ireland, capturing what it means to grow up amid the intergenerational tensions in both Protestant and Catholic neighbourhoods. Alquimia Textil by Nicolás Garrido Huguet (Peru) Alquimia Textil is a collaborative project by Nicolás Garrido Huguet and fashion designer María Lucía Muñoz, highlighting the natural dyeing techniques of Pumaqwasin artisans in Chinchero, Cusco, Peru. The project seeks to raise awareness and preserve these ancestral practices, which involve hours of meticulous work often overlooked in the textile industry. The Strata of Time by Seido Kino (Japan) This project invites viewers to consider what it means for a country to grow, and the advantages and disadvantages linked to that growth, by overlaying archival photographs from the 1940s-60s within current scenes. The Journey Home from School by Laura Pannack (United Kingdom) Laura Pannack's project explores the tumultuous public lives of young people in the gang-governed Cape Flats area of Cape Town, South Africa, where their daily commute carries the risk of death. Using handmade, lo-fi experimental techniques, this project explores how young people have to walk to and from school avoiding the daily threat of gang crossfire. M'kumba by Gui Christ (Brazil) M'kumba is an ongoing project that illustrates the resilience of Afro-Brazilian communities in the face of local religious intolerance. Gui Christ wanted to photograph a proud, young generation representing African deities and mythological tales. Shred the Patriarchy by Chantal Pinzi (Italy) India, the world's most populous country, only has a handful of female skaters. Through the art of falling and getting back up, these women challenge stereotypes, fight marginalisation and reclaim public spaces in both urban and rural areas. Still Waiting by Peter Franck (Germany) Still Waiting presents collages that capture moments of pause, of waiting. Tbourida La Chute by Olivier Unia The Open competition celebrates the power and dynamism of a single photograph. Olivier Unia was chosen for his photograph Tbourida La Chute. Many of the photographs taken during a traditional Moroccan 'tbourida' show the riders firing their rifles. With this image, the photographer wanted to share another side of the event, and show how dangerous it can be when a rider is thrown from their mount. The Last Day We Saw the Mountains and the Sea by Micaela Valdivia Medina (Peru) Medina's project explores female prison spaces across Chile, and the dynamics that shape the lives of incarcerated women and their families. For the 2025 Youth competition, photographers aged 19 and under were invited to respond to an Open Call and enter their best images from the last year. The winner, chosen from a shortlist of 11 photographers, was Daniel Dian-Ji Wu, Taiwan, 16 years old, for his image of a skateboarder doing a trick, silhouetted against a sunset in Venice Beach, Los Angeles. The prestigious Outstanding Contribution to Photography 2025 was awarded to acclaimed documentary photographer Susan Meiselas. For more than five decades, photographer Susan Meiselas has focused her lens on capturing compelling stories from diverse communities. From documenting the lives of women performing striptease at rural American fairs to chronicling the Sandinista revolution in Nicaragua, her work provides an intimate portrait of resilience and humanity. All photos courtesy of Sony World Photography Awards 2025. Exhibition at Somerset House, London, 17 April – 5 May 2025.
BBC News
20-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
2025 Sony World Photography Awards: Winners revealed
The winners of the 2024 Sony World Photography Awards have been announced, with Zed Nelson named as Photographer of the Year for The Anthropocene Illusion, a project exploring the fractured relationship between humans and the natural project takes its name from the term Anthropocene - the current geological epoch where human activity has become the dominant force shaping the Earth's project explores the tension between the human desire to connect with nature and ongoing environmental degradation. Nelson's constructed environments highlight the growing gap between conservation efforts and ecological destruction. The Anthropocene Illusion goes beyond a documentary, offering a thought-provoking exploration of modern human life in an era shaped by human impact. Nelson's work, selected from the 10 professional competition category winners, triumphed in the wildlife and nature are the other category winners. Architecture & Design The Tokyo Toilet Project by Ulana Switucha (Canada) The Tokyo Toilet Project in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan, is an urban redevelopment initiative aimed at creating modern public restrooms that encourage use. These images are part of a larger series documenting the architectural design of these structures within their urban setting. Creative Rhi-Entry by Rhiannon Adam (United Kingdom) In 2018, Japanese billionaire and art collector Yusaku Maezawa launched a global search for eight artists to join him on a week-long lunar mission aboard SpaceX's Starship, the first civilian deep space flight. The mission would follow a path similar to Apollo 8's 1968 journey, which inspired astronaut Bill Anders to suggest NASA should have sent poets to capture the awe of 2021, Rhiannon Adam was chosen as the only female crew member from one million applicants and for three years she immersed herself in the space industry. Maezawa abruptly cancelled the mission, leaving the crew to pick up the pieces of their disrupted lives - the experience informed Adam's thought provoking project. Documentary projects Divided Youth of Belfast by Toby Binder (Germany) For years, Toby Binder has been documenting the experiences of young people born after the peace agreement in Northern Ireland, capturing what it means to grow up amid the intergenerational tensions in both Protestant and Catholic neighbourhoods. Environment Alquimia Textil by Nicolás Garrido Huguet (Peru) Alquimia Textil is a collaborative project by Nicolás Garrido Huguet and fashion designer María Lucía Muñoz, highlighting the natural dyeing techniques of Pumaqwasin artisans in Chinchero, Cusco, Peru. The project seeks to raise awareness and preserve these ancestral practices, which involve hours of meticulous work often overlooked in the textile industry. Landscape The Strata of Time by Seido Kino (Japan) This project invites viewers to consider what it means for a country to grow, and the advantages and disadvantages linked to that growth, by overlaying archival photographs from the 1940s-60s within current scenes. Perspectives The Journey Home from School by Laura Pannack (United Kingdom) Laura Pannack's project explores the tumultuous public lives of young people in the gang-governed Cape Flats area of Cape Town, South Africa, where their daily commute carries the risk of death. Using handmade, lo-fi experimental techniques, this project explores how young people have to walk to and from school avoiding the daily threat of gang crossfire. Portraiture M'kumba by Gui Christ (Brazil) M'kumba is an ongoing project that illustrates the resilience of Afro-Brazilian communities in the face of local religious Christ wanted to photograph a proud, young generation representing African deities and mythological tales. Sport Shred the Patriarchy by Chantal Pinzi (Italy) India, the world's most populous country, only has a handful of female the art of falling and getting back up, these women challenge stereotypes, fight marginalisation and reclaim public spaces in both urban and rural areas. Still life Still Waiting by Peter Franck (Germany) Still Waiting presents collages that capture moments of pause, of waiting. Open - motion Tbourida La Chute by Olivier Unia The Open competition celebrates the power and dynamism of a single photograph. Olivier Unia was chosen for his photograph Tbourida La of the photographs taken during a traditional Moroccan 'tbourida' show the riders firing their rifles. With this image, the photographer wanted to share another side of the event, and show how dangerous it can be when a rider is thrown from their mount. Student photographer of the year The Last Day We Saw the Mountains and the Sea by Micaela Valdivia Medina (Peru) Medina's project explores female prison spaces across Chile, and the dynamics that shape the lives of incarcerated women and their families. Youth photographer of the year For the 2025 Youth competition, photographers aged 19 and under were invited to respond to an Open Call and enter their best images from the last year. The winner, chosen from a shortlist of 11 photographers, was Daniel Dian-Ji Wu, Taiwan, 16 years old, for his image of a skateboarder doing a trick, silhouetted against a sunset in Venice Beach, Los Angeles. Outstanding contribution to photography The prestigious Outstanding Contribution to Photography 2025 was awarded to acclaimed documentary photographer Susan Meiselas. For more than five decades, photographer Susan Meiselas has focused her lens on capturing compelling stories from diverse communities. From documenting the lives of women performing striptease at rural American fairs to chronicling the Sandinista revolution in Nicaragua, her work provides an intimate portrait of resilience and humanity. All photos courtesy of Sony World Photography Awards 2025. Exhibition at Somerset House, London, 17 April – 5 May 2025.
