- TRANSLATION - Kamenashi Kazuya Maquia vol.133 「Summer Trip」
Hey there!
Finally I got some free time, so I could work on a translation after literally ages!
I came across this month's Maquia on Weibo and, when I read it, I loved the warm and natural feeling the interview had in it, so I just decided to share the translation with everyone!
Hope you enjoy it 💗
All credits for the pics go to momo_nanami on Weibo
Vol. 133
Summer trip
"After a long time, I'd like to go out somewhere, since it's summer and I also bought a new camera!
The tour is over, and so are all the shootings, it's the beginning of a summer where we can take a little breather.
Taking Kamenashi-san's suggestion, we went on a small trip.
"At the moment, I got a passion for the camera inside of me all over again (T/N: He literally said "camera boom", but I sort of paraphrased it).
"They often say that, when you have a camera, your fields of vision will expand, but I feel like the things in your field of vision will change too. That's fun. I feel like it will expand till my own world too."
Despite it being a crowded street, he doesn't seem to care about the surroundings and didn't even let the camera go for a moment, walking with an expression brimming with curiosity.
What was reflecting in his heart, that day?
"-You can feel- it's already summer, both from the sunlight and from the smells."
The chosen place to go to for the summer trip is Shibamata, a downtown area which is crowded with people even during weekdays.
"This neighbourhood is also close to my hometown. Actually, when I was in high school, I used to come to this area with the bus.", said Kamenashi-san.
Holding the camera in his hands, he proceeded to walk around the shops' street.
When he found an old shopkeeper grilling some rice crackers in the shop, he asked: "Is it okay if I take a picture?"
The old man greeted him back and said "Ye~s!", then, as soon as they were face to face, he said: "Eh? Kamenashi-san!" with a surprised face. They shot some pics while having a friendly conversation, talking about various subjects, such as rice crackers, baseball and their favourite sake.
"I wonder if I was able take a picture of that natural expression. But, I unfortunately didn't get to capture that perfect expression he made when he recognised I was Kamenashi Kazuya. A camera is able to capture the moments you want to keep forever, but it's hard to capture them!"
Recently, he's been passionate about cameras again. He said he felt this when he took pics of things and people close to him every day.
"I feel like I'm setting my heart free and I myself am free too. When I'm busy with work, I have the feeling that I'm facing my inner self, but when I have a camera I become open. There's this feeling that also minutes expand."
The shopkeeper's gentle expression, the baseball field flooded with summer's sunlight, the light shining in the veranda of a western-style house... When taking pics, Kamenashi-san seems to go for more casual moments and capture lots of details of fragmentary things, rather than full sceneries.
"I guess, I want to take pictures of little fragments because they bring a lot of stories to my memory. I had my focus on the mound when I was taking pics at a baseball field along the Edogawa River. I felt that it was a place where many stories and feelings were born."
The mound evoked some unforgettable summer memories.
"The baseball world tournament when I was in sixth grade! Although, it left me some frustration, since I lost to Mexico in the second round /laugh/. It's a memory that I cherish and which comes back to me every summer."
Kamenashi-san once said: "Memories are a treasure for me."
"It's not just big memories. Things like the twilight I saw on my way back home after baseball practice, or the smell of evening meals that was drifting in the air from the residential area. Even though they're small memories, it's something I can't forget, and all of that made me what I am today. For this reason, I feel that all memories are to be cherished. Again, I think it's deeply meaningful to record and preserve things with a camera. Because, things that moved you at that time could change colour in your memory over time, and you end up forgetting them, right?
It doesn't have to be everything, but I want to preserve the things I felt and living proofs. And one of the ways to do that is with a camera. "
Kamenashi-san says so while flavouring the pleasure of taking pictures, and feeling the fun of being photographed as well once again.
"Every month, for this series, I(?)'m asked to let myself uncovered, different from my work mode. The same goes for interviews. I've been keeping talking about the depths of my heart for hundreds of hours during these 11 years. Even though I didn't drink any alcohol, I was earnest /laugh/.
I never thought of leaving a record of my way of life, but now I think that it could be interesting and worthy to keep track of one's world. Because, the changes you don't notice will always remain in the pictures and in words."
Before we noticed, it was the twilight.
Despite traveling for merely half a day, he said: "My heart is pleased", as a soft smile showed on his face.
"On summer, I seem to have a little bit of time so I want to be able to do things like using camera, go surfing or playing golf. I wanted to so some things that I ran across but couldn't properly deepen. I myself can't wait to see how I'm going to change from there on."
Finally I got some free time, so I could work on a translation after literally ages!
I came across this month's Maquia on Weibo and, when I read it, I loved the warm and natural feeling the interview had in it, so I just decided to share the translation with everyone!
Hope you enjoy it 💗
All credits for the pics go to momo_nanami on Weibo
Vol. 133
Summer trip
"After a long time, I'd like to go out somewhere, since it's summer and I also bought a new camera!
The tour is over, and so are all the shootings, it's the beginning of a summer where we can take a little breather.
Taking Kamenashi-san's suggestion, we went on a small trip.
"At the moment, I got a passion for the camera inside of me all over again (T/N: He literally said "camera boom", but I sort of paraphrased it).
"They often say that, when you have a camera, your fields of vision will expand, but I feel like the things in your field of vision will change too. That's fun. I feel like it will expand till my own world too."
Despite it being a crowded street, he doesn't seem to care about the surroundings and didn't even let the camera go for a moment, walking with an expression brimming with curiosity.
What was reflecting in his heart, that day?
"-You can feel- it's already summer, both from the sunlight and from the smells."
The chosen place to go to for the summer trip is Shibamata, a downtown area which is crowded with people even during weekdays.
"This neighbourhood is also close to my hometown. Actually, when I was in high school, I used to come to this area with the bus.", said Kamenashi-san.
Holding the camera in his hands, he proceeded to walk around the shops' street.
When he found an old shopkeeper grilling some rice crackers in the shop, he asked: "Is it okay if I take a picture?"
The old man greeted him back and said "Ye~s!", then, as soon as they were face to face, he said: "Eh? Kamenashi-san!" with a surprised face. They shot some pics while having a friendly conversation, talking about various subjects, such as rice crackers, baseball and their favourite sake.
"I wonder if I was able take a picture of that natural expression. But, I unfortunately didn't get to capture that perfect expression he made when he recognised I was Kamenashi Kazuya. A camera is able to capture the moments you want to keep forever, but it's hard to capture them!"
Recently, he's been passionate about cameras again. He said he felt this when he took pics of things and people close to him every day.
"I feel like I'm setting my heart free and I myself am free too. When I'm busy with work, I have the feeling that I'm facing my inner self, but when I have a camera I become open. There's this feeling that also minutes expand."
The shopkeeper's gentle expression, the baseball field flooded with summer's sunlight, the light shining in the veranda of a western-style house... When taking pics, Kamenashi-san seems to go for more casual moments and capture lots of details of fragmentary things, rather than full sceneries.
"I guess, I want to take pictures of little fragments because they bring a lot of stories to my memory. I had my focus on the mound when I was taking pics at a baseball field along the Edogawa River. I felt that it was a place where many stories and feelings were born."
The mound evoked some unforgettable summer memories.
"The baseball world tournament when I was in sixth grade! Although, it left me some frustration, since I lost to Mexico in the second round /laugh/. It's a memory that I cherish and which comes back to me every summer."
Kamenashi-san once said: "Memories are a treasure for me."
"It's not just big memories. Things like the twilight I saw on my way back home after baseball practice, or the smell of evening meals that was drifting in the air from the residential area. Even though they're small memories, it's something I can't forget, and all of that made me what I am today. For this reason, I feel that all memories are to be cherished. Again, I think it's deeply meaningful to record and preserve things with a camera. Because, things that moved you at that time could change colour in your memory over time, and you end up forgetting them, right?
It doesn't have to be everything, but I want to preserve the things I felt and living proofs. And one of the ways to do that is with a camera. "
Kamenashi-san says so while flavouring the pleasure of taking pictures, and feeling the fun of being photographed as well once again.
"Every month, for this series, I(?)'m asked to let myself uncovered, different from my work mode. The same goes for interviews. I've been keeping talking about the depths of my heart for hundreds of hours during these 11 years. Even though I didn't drink any alcohol, I was earnest /laugh/.
I never thought of leaving a record of my way of life, but now I think that it could be interesting and worthy to keep track of one's world. Because, the changes you don't notice will always remain in the pictures and in words."
Before we noticed, it was the twilight.
Despite traveling for merely half a day, he said: "My heart is pleased", as a soft smile showed on his face.
"On summer, I seem to have a little bit of time so I want to be able to do things like using camera, go surfing or playing golf. I wanted to so some things that I ran across but couldn't properly deepen. I myself can't wait to see how I'm going to change from there on."