On a weekend trip to Fujikawaguchiko, I was able to visit the Fujikawaguchiko Museum of Art, which featured an exhibition of drawings and photographs of Mount Fuji. What struck me most about this exhibit was how widely artists’ and photographers’ interpretations of the mountain differed. It is amazing how different each artists work reflected the mountain in a way that reflected their own relationship with it.
I created this digital art piece using photoshop and premiere pro as my own interpretation of the exhibit’s concept, of what my relationship with the tallest mountain in Japan is. I collaged images I collected near the mountain’s base, in the towns of Fujikawaguchiko, Fujiyoshida, and Hakone, inside the outline of the mountain, and used my own video from the sunset near the summit as the background.
Fuji-san, as the Japanese refer to Mount Fuji, is a magnanimous and gigantic mountain different from any mountain I’ve seen or climbed before because it stands alone. Its ever-presence and view, cloud-covered, beneath my feet or behind the Tokyo skyline, have anchored me in my new home throughout this study abroad experience.
Thanks for reading! You can also check out my other posts from Japan, such as my thoughts on Japanese coffee culture.