Akihide Tamura

"It is now five decades ago that I was watching in admiration the American military base that could be seen over the barley fields and pinewoods in the suburbs of Tokyo. I had no idea then why the strange American town was there. To an airplane lover like myself, it was like a space like an asylum where I was fascinated by the beautiful aircrafts shaped like arrowheads used by warriors since ancient times. After that, experiencing the 1970s, I remember all of my emotions collapsing and how melancholic the days that went by were. I understood how wars could make people unhappy as I watched the lives of my parents. Becoming busy with working, I forgot about the base but since being able to spend my time freely, I have commuted to another American base located in the south of Tokyo, where nothing has changed but the airplanes. Over five years, I have taken the photographs in this book using the latest type high-speed, auto-focus digital camera. I am holding my camera with ambivalent feelings: my fascination for the beautiful military airplanes and opposition against war." A. Tamura