Other entries from overseas (Selected works)

I Love Japan / Dayoung Hong (NewZealand)

Message from the photographer

These are photographs of Paige, a girl who has confidence in herself. She is just an ordinary high school girl that you might find anywhere in the world. Paige and I share a passion for Japanese manga, anime, and learning Japanese, but despite our common hobbies, she, unlike me, loves to express herself openly about her interests. She expressed her love for Japanese anime and manga to me while I was taking photos of her. I wanted to show that there are people in the world like Paige who love Japan.

About the subject

I met Paige in the Japanese class at the beginning of the school year. My first impression was that she was an energetic chatterbox, but I eventually found out that she is full of kindness and deep feeling. She was the first Caucasian person that I had ever met to have such an avid interest in Japan. I chose her as my subject because I wanted to learn more about her personality.