In Japan, there are very few events devoted entirely to contemporary photography. L'Asama International Photo Festival - Photo Miyota is an exception.
Since its creation in 2018, it has established itself as a not-to-be-missed event, attracting thousands of visitors to Nagano Prefecture every summer. The event stands out for its ambition: to offer an experience where photography dialogues with landscape and architecture, far beyond traditional exhibition formats.
In 2025, the festival returns with a strong theme: "Unseen Worlds". Guest artists include French photographer Elsa Leydier will present several of her emblematic series, which question the way we represent nature and, more broadly, our environment.
TheAsama International Photo Festival, also known as PHOTO MIYOTA, was born of an original vision: to place photography in a natural and architectural setting, in continuity with the territory that hosts it.
Based in Miyota, a small town nestled at the foot of Mount Asama, the festival unfolds around the MMoP (Miyota Museum of Photography) and extends into outdoor spaces.
This choice of scenography transforms the city and its surroundings into an immense open-air gallery. Visitors move from place to place, discovering works of art at the bend of a building, in a garden or in the heart of nature. Here, photography is not limited to pictures hung on picture rails: it is experienced in a direct relationship with the landscape.
The 2025 edition adopts the theme "Unseen Worlds". This concept invites artists and visitors to explore what escapes our everyday gaze:
This theme echoes major contemporary issues. At a time when our lives are being shaped by invisible systems (algorithms, climatic mutations, etc.), photography offers itself as a tool for revelation.
By focusing attention on what cannot be seen, the festival invites us to go beyond the obvious and question our perception of reality.
Among the international artists invited is Elsa Leydier, a French photographer born in 1983. She has made a name for herself with works that question the representation of landscapes, particularly in contexts marked by colonial history or tourist clichés.
His series presented at Photo Miyota:
These projects question the way - always subjective and biased - in which we construct our images of nature.Elsa Leydier 's approach resonates perfectly with the spirit of the festival: to explore the discrepancies between what we see and what we think we see.
Established in 2018, theAsama International Photo Festival has quickly established itself in the Japanese cultural landscape. After an enforced pause due to the pandemic, it made a comeback in 2023, attracting over 20,000 visitors. In 2024, attendance exceeded 30,000 visitors, confirming its status as a major event for contemporary photography in Asia.
This success is due as much to the quality of the program as to its unique setting. Where other festivals focus on exhibition halls, Photo Miyota plays the immersion card. The territory becomes a partner to the works, and the experience offered to visitors remains deeply marked by this link between art and nature.
Beyond its artistic richness, theAsama International Photo Festival - Photo Miyota 2025 offers a rare experience:
👉 Whether you're a photography enthusiast, a lover of contemporary art or simply curious about an immersive cultural experience, this festival has become a must-see in Japan.
It's a festival of contemporary photography organized in Miyota (Nagano, Japan), which brings together art, nature and architecture.
The theme is "Unseen Worlds", an exploration of what escapes our gaze: technologies, society, interiority, nature.
Guest artists include Elsa Leydier, Stephen Gill, Karolina Wojtas, Kazuma Obara and other Japanese and international designers.
Launched in 2018, it has established itself as a not-to-be-missed event, with over 30,000 visitors in 2024.
The festival takes place in Miyota, at the foot of Mount Asama, mainly around the MMoP - Miyota Museum of Photography and in various outdoor spaces.
