Yoko Yamamoto's photos reveal ancient Japanese traditions that live on today. In addition to the 20 plus years that she spent living among and photographing the Geisha of Tokyo, she has documented Noh and Kabuki theatre, Tea Ceremony, Martial Arts, Japanese swordsmanship and many other forms of traditional Japanese culture.
She also worked on the bid to have Kamakura listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and has a series of stunning images of the town and its many temples and shrines.
Her work also encompasses other countries and customs:
- She spent time in Italy and has photographed the people and places she saw there
- The series "Latitude 43 Degrees North" documents 2 journeys made a year apart which took her round the world at this latitude from Peking to Paris and then across America and onto Hokkaido
- She took a series of self-portraits across the globe
In 2012, she suffered several break ins and the vast majority of her original negatives, positives and prints were stolen as well as photography and IT equipment. The work that features on this site is taken from the DVDs that she managed to salvage from the theft. The full list of what was stolen can be seen here in Japanese.
