Shinmitsu 親密

JAPAN
2024

Intimacy is quiet, often unseen, a moment of stillness where trust is built through what remains unspoken. In Japan, where selfhood is shaped by the contrast between an external identity (Tatemae 建前) and an internal truth (Honne 本音), vulnerability carries weight. Public life moves within careful restraint, where emotions are contained, and gestures are measured. Yet, intimacy reveals itself in fleeting moments. A glance held a second too long, a hesitation before reaching out, a quiet space charged with unspoken understanding. This project captures those subtle exchanges, where closeness unfolds in the tension between exposure and concealment.

As an outsider, I am drawn to the quiet rebellion of intimacy in Japan, where tenderness often exists between the lines of speech and action. Through vignettes of couples, friends, and family, these images explore the courage it takes to be seen, to step beyond expectation and into vulnerability. In photographing others, I witness the delicate process of connection, where people shed layers of themselves to reveal something real. And in that act, I too find intimacy: the quiet freedom to see and be seen.

“The most defining moment in our relationship is a night we spent together on the beach, bathing under the full moon and listening to the waves crash. We connected on a spiritual level this night, it really brung us together deeper than we had gone before.”

Harutaro & Malorie

“It was like a lily blooming within a hurricane. Figuratively, but may as well have been literally. Everything disorganized found its place. She’s a breath of fresh air for me. It’s cliche, I know, but everything seemed to sparkle and the sky was brighter, the birds sang louder, etc etc you get it. I suppose that’s what a soul mate is right? I found my person.”

REIN

“When I was broken, and didn’t even want to see someone’s faces around, suddenly I found myself listening to some music with him (Fukutaro), drinking cheap red wine, and seeing him beginning to dance, rap, and smiling.”

NAQI

“Taking photos with three generations of my family felt almost like capturing the
relay of life itself. It made me realize just how precious my family is something
I’d taken for granted.”

MINORI

“Even if we don’t keep in touch or are far apart, the moment we start talking, it feels like nothing has changed.
And we always laugh a lot together.”

HIKARI & REINA

“For us, intimacy is the depth of affection.”

YU & NANAMI

“We may be further apart geographically, but the emotional connection has only deepened, reflecting the broader changes in Japan’s society, where traditional roles have loosened, and individuality is embraced.”

HANNA (On her nephew NOAH)

“Intimacy for us is to be close enough to make others think that we are a couple,
but we are not.”

TSUKASA & KAI

Gili Benita

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