MIYOTA, Japan — The Asama International Photo Festival is under way through Sept. 30 in the town of Miyota, Nagano Prefecture, located on a plateau at the foot of Mt. Asama.

Popular in Western countries, this type of event is rarely held in Japan. The festival is organized by an executive committee comprising the Miyota town government and leading Tokyo-based ad photo and video production firm Amana Inc.

More than 200 works by 31 artists from Japan and elsewhere are on display indoors and out at the now-defunct Musee d’art Mercian Karuizawa and its surrounding area. The aim is to both present photographs and promote the area as well.

Visitors can “feel” the exhibition through their five senses, taking advantage of the town’s pastoral environment. Photographs displayed outside flutter in the breeze or stand under the sun. The event also features augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) devices to give more depth to the artworks.

In a dark room covered with phosphorescent sheets, a strong strobe captures visitors’ shadows, which are photographed on the sheet and gradually fade away. The festival provides various workshops as well.

“Their attractiveness and horror are amplified when photographs are viewed in nature instead of a building. I want to visit this kind of exhibition again if there are more,” said Emiko Watanabe, a company executive who came from Minato Ward, Tokyo.

Amana will lease the museum’s grounds and building from the town in fiscal 2019 and open a photo museum. The current festival is a preliminary event for a full-scale photo festival to start next year.

Mayor Yuji Moteki said: “We want to convey the beauty of the base of Mt. Asama through a cultural project featuring photography, which is a familiar art form. In the long run, we want to increase the number of residents who come to live in the town from elsewhere and revitalize the local economy.”

The festival is open every day free of charge.

(New Japan, Old Japan is a series exclusive to The Japan News)