Magical forests star in Japan’s photo contest

20 October 2019 Forests in photos

More than 350 photographers entered their best forest photos into the contest of the Sustainable Green Ecosystem Council (SGEC), our national member for Japan.

The winners chosen by the Japanese jury show magical forests and the strength of trees.

The winner

The winning photo, entitled ‘Lively View in the Silent Night’, was taken by Koudai Shiojima in Choei Hut in the Yamanashi Prefecture in Japan.

“We were camping near Choei Hut in the mountains. It was a very quiet space with only the slight sound of the wind and a stream. The colourful tents and the stars in the sky gave this night in the forest a very lively atmosphere,” the photographer explains.

The runners-up

Akio Yamamoto came in second with the photo ‘Beech Forest in Mount Daisen’. The image shows the magical atmosphere in the Daisen-Oki National Park in western Japan, when the sun came out after the rain.

“After the rain had stopped, the sun began to shine through the leaves. The beech forest in Mount Daisen is one of the largest in the western Japan. It is vital for the area, because it provides us with clean water,” he said.

Kunihiko Aizawa won third place with the photo ‘The coming of spring’, taken in Mount Amamizu in the Niigata Prefecture in Japan.

“Although the forest floor was covered with snow, beech trees carried leaves and had changed the colour of the forest to a light green,” he explains.

“They showed me the strength of plants growing in nature.”

You can discover more photos entered into Japan’s contest on Instagram under the hashtag #森林認証SGECPEFCフォトコン2019