Breathtaking Scenery of Japan to the World | Raw Japan Founder Takahiro | ISSUE #35

'I started photography from a very small trigger. I originally loved traveling and wanted to capture and share the beauty of the places I visited,' Takahiro says with quiet enthusiasm.

He began taking photos with his smartphone around 2018 while traveling. As he continued to take photos casually with his phone, he became interested in genres like nightscapes, which were difficult to express with the devices of the time, and started taking photos with a camera to capture more beautiful images.

'I created Instagram 'Raw Japan' in 2019, but I had no prior experience managing a community,' Takahiro says. He continues, 'It might be more accurate to say that 'Raw Japan' was something that came into being as a result.'

As he posted the photos he took, he received many 'likes' and was featured by a large global Raw group account. Through these connections, Takahiro became involved in managing another page of the Raw group as a photo selection moderator (@raw_nightshots).

This led to more people becoming interested in Japan's wonderful landscapes, and as he saw various posts, he realized that there are many amazing photographers in Japan who do not work professionally and that there are countless beautiful sceneries beyond famous tourist spots.

With the desire to let more people know about Japan's beauty, he proposed within the group to launch a Japanese version of the Raw group page, leading to the creation of 'Raw Japan' from scratch.

At the initial stage, he asked those he interacted with in the Raw group to post with selected hashtags, and more Japanese friends joined the activity.
The number of followers exceeded 10,000 within a few months of its launch, the fastest among the over 100 Raw group pages worldwide. Looking back, it was a purely enjoyable time as more and more wonderful posts were shared.

Although the activities seemed to be going smoothly, the account was frozen for nearly a year due to an Instagram glitch.

It was a long period, and he almost lost heart, but thanks to the support of the followers and persistent inquiries, they were fortunate enough to recover. Before officially announcing the recovery, followers noticed it and reached out or shared it in their stories, and the wave of celebration from countless people was unforgettable.

A while ago, there was a trend of refraining from posting photos on social media due to infectious disease issues, so an event called #OvercomeNippon was held on Instagram with a new HUB established less than three years ago, aiming to shed light on past photos.

Despite such difficult times, fans supporting 'Raw Japan' steadily increased. As a result, more than 65,000 people now follow 'Raw Japan'.

While 'Raw Japan' mainly shares and introduces excellent photos on the account, it also actively engages in communication and community building with followers.

'Connecting with people through photography sometimes leads to actual offline events. Recently, we were involved in organizing the largest photo exhibition in the Tokai region, with over 120 photographers connected through Instagram, providing a place for direct interaction with people who were only connected on social media, and it was a very valuable experience for the exhibitors and visitors.'

In this way, they are promoting participation and interaction by creating an environment where followers can easily post their photos and regularly setting up events or themes using hashtags.

Finally, we asked Takahiro about his future prospects.

'In the future, I want to create an atmosphere where opinions can be exchanged more interactively, and challenge projects or events that make it easier for followers to participate and provide some benefits. I feel that the quality and enthusiasm of Japanese photographers and those who post photos on social media as a hobby are very high globally. On the other hand, as seen in TV commercials, social media is being used to put others down. I hope to contribute to creating an environment where people can purely enjoy, praise others, and be inspired, and continue to introduce the works of followers regardless of experience or follower count, conveying the charm of Japan and Japanese photographers to people worldwide.'

'Raw Japan' started from Takahiro's small hobby and has grown into a community that influences many people. The community he operates as a hub is a source of motivation and inspiration for many followers.

We can't take our eyes off the future activities of Takahiro and 'Raw Japan'.