“The whole of Japan is pure invention.”
Oscar Wilde
Tokyo Research Trip: May 22 – 29, 2026.
The Tokyo Research Trip offers participants a comprehensive exploration into the exciting world of Japanese photography. Grounded in scholarly inquiry and convivial meetings, the trip is designed to align with participants’ individual interests, fostering opportunities to develop unique projects, generate new ideas, and cultivate deeper cultural understandings.
The itinerary features meetings with influential figures in contemporary practice including curators, collectives, publishers, and artists active in the publishing and exhibiting world. Organised by Speculative Horizons, the trip encompasses a broad engagement with photography, including major institutions, artist-run galleries, second-hand camera stores and used book dealers. Led by Dr. Kristian Häggblom in collaboration with Andrew Denishensky from Entourage Travel and Niigata-based photographer and studio manager Masatoshi Kobayashi. The eight-day program aims to connect participants with the diverse and ever-evolving landscape of Japanese photography while facilitating meaningful exchanges with leading industry experts.
Connections.
The program provides participants with invaluable opportunities to engage with key figures in the photography industry, including curators, institutional leaders, publishers, and artists active in the publishing and exhibiting world. Most significantly, participants will meet with image-makers at the forefront of contemporary Japanese photography, fostering meaningful relationships and laying the groundwork for future creative and professional endeavours.
The program will be based in a dedicated central location in Tokyo close to Shinjuku, providing a space for productive and provocative discussions and collaborative interactions.
Research Outcomes.
The Tokyo Research Trip is independent of any formal accreditation and offers participants freedom to pursue their interests and creative inquiries.
Participants can engage with a wide range of potential research outcomes. It could be an opportunity to create the scaffolding for a photographic project, or to explore the history, theory, and speculative dimensions of Japanese photography. Outcomes could be as straightforward as uncovering rare or iconic Japanese photography publications or conduct archival research. Participants might also engage in critical analysis of contemporary practices, draw connections between Japanese and global photographic traditions, or establish the conceptual groundwork for future academic or creative endeavours.
Whether the aim is to collect resources for an exegesis, develop a portfolio, or shape an international collaboration, the program encourages participants to set their own objectives and take full advantage of Tokyo’s rich photographic resources to achieve meaningful outcomes.
Some people and places we visited in 2025
People
Moe Suzuki, Hajime Kimura, Kenta Cobayashi, Yumi Goto, Go Itami & Ken Nishikawa
Places
Reminders Photography Stronghold, Zen Foto Gallery, Twelvebooks at SKWAT – Kameari Art Centre, Photographer’s Gallery International, Nikon Salon, Photographer’s Gallery, Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography and various second-hand book and camera stores.
“The whole of Japan
is pure invention.”
Oscar Wilde
Tokyo Research Trip:
May 22 – 29, 2026.
The Tokyo Research Trip offers participants a comprehensive exploration into the exciting world of Japanese photography. Grounded in scholarly inquiry and convivial meetings, the trip is designed to align with participants’ individual interests, fostering opportunities to develop unique projects, generate new ideas, and cultivate deeper cultural understandings.
The itinerary features meetings with influential figures in contemporary practice including curators, collectives, publishers, and artists active in the publishing and exhibiting world. Organised by Speculative Horizons, the trip encompasses a broad engagement with photography, including major institutions, artist-run galleries, second-hand camera stores and used book dealers. Led by Dr. Kristian Häggblom in collaboration with Andrew Denishensky from Entourage Travel and Niigata-based photographer and studio manager Masatoshi Kobayashi. The eight-day program aims to connect participants with the diverse and ever-evolving landscape of Japanese photography while facilitating meaningful exchanges with leading industry experts.
Connections.
The program provides participants with invaluable opportunities to engage with key figures in the photography industry, including curators, institutional leaders, publishers, and artists active in the publishing and exhibiting world. Most significantly, participants will meet with image-makers at the forefront of contemporary Japanese photography, fostering meaningful relationships and laying the groundwork for future creative and professional endeavours.
The program will be based in a dedicated central location in Tokyo close to Shinjuku, providing a space for productive and provocative discussions and collaborative interactions.
Research Outcomes.
The Tokyo Research Trip is independent of any formal accreditation and offers participants freedom to pursue their interests and creative inquiries.
Participants can engage with a wide range of potential research outcomes. It could be an opportunity to create the scaffolding for a photographic project, or to explore the history, theory, and speculative dimensions of Japanese photography. Outcomes could be as straightforward as uncovering rare or iconic Japanese photography publications or conduct archival research. Participants might also engage in critical analysis of contemporary practices, draw connections between Japanese and global photographic traditions, or establish the conceptual groundwork for future academic or creative endeavours.
Whether the aim is to collect resources for an exegesis, develop a portfolio, or shape an international collaboration, the program encourages participants to set their own objectives and take full advantage of Tokyo’s rich photographic resources to achieve meaningful outcomes.
