Mountain and ski and photograph. The simple life only for it.
The Niseko Upas tour sponsorship, Director of association of Niseko Winter Guide, skier, photographer
WATANABE YOICHI

　I was born in Shizuoka and was brought up in Tokyo and Saitama. I
skied in the days of fourth grader for the first time. It was provoked
by friend and went to Niigata. I have been completely charmed by ski. It
may be said that my life was obsessed with skiing from the time.

　I obtained ski and went to skiing area frequently. I went to Sayama
skiing area of artificial skiing area many times by bicycle from home.

　I watched photograph of Alpine events of ski magazine from that time
and thought that ski was what cool. I knew famous team “Maximum ski
team” of competition ski and joined the team immediately.

　I wanted to go to high school with skiing club, but there are few
such high schools in Kanto. Therefore I concentrated on ski by Maximum
ski team. I come to win a prize since eleventh grader in preliminary of
inter-school athletic meet. In preliminary at the age of twelfth
grader, my start order became last by slip-up. However, I was roused
adversely and won the second place from the 130th start. Passing of 128
people is my career-high.

　I was going to enter university in area with snow and entered
university in Iwate. I made skiing club. Ski was all center in my
college student days. I spent most time in albite and skiing area for
ski. It was that time that I had begun to ski in backcountry.

　I found a job in information appliance maker, and my type of job
was sales. I was transferred to long-cherished Sapporo at the age of 26
years old. Teine, Kiroro, Rusutsu, Niseko, Asahidake…. I spent all
free time on skiing. I went to North America. In this time, I
completely became captive of backcountry skiing. My younger brother is
photographer. Thus I studied photograph by self-education from these
days and have begun to photograph mountain and ski. Scene that skier
ran the inside where spray of snow shined for backlight in Mt. Taisetsu
fast was really fun for both photographer and skier

　I left company at 30 years old of time with order of transfer after
all. It was 1996. Because there was deposit, anyway, I did only skiing. I
thought that there was not anymore at such an opportunity in the life.

　It occurred to me to make living by photograph soon. When I did
heliskiing in Canada, photographer photographed the scene. I was very
glad of watching photograph that myself skied. I thought that such a way
of life was good.

　When I began photographer, I was engaged by Ross Findlay of NAC and
took photograph of rafting every year from May for three years.

　Visitors were really pleased with photograph of scene which they
enjoyed in Nature in rafting. I thought that this was suitable for me
than time when I took big contract for the office worker era. I raised
technique of photograph by practice desperately.

　I cast all property and bought the latest camera system and prepared
at that time. Because savings finally disappeared, I made up my mind to
make living by photographer.

　I photographed skier in skiing area and sold the photograph to the
skier when skier liked. I came to go to backcountry before long and
established “Niseko Upas” which did photography to set with ski guide.
Upas means snow by language of Ainu.

　From the mid-1990s, ski was affected by snowboarding and evolved
greatly. Not only we glided on plane regularly as in the past, but also
Fat ski enabled ski which was dynamic than regular run in plane. Tamai
Taro entered mountain together and reclaimed technique of new ski.

　It became my living to take ski photograph based in Hirafu. I came
to work on video work before long. And there is request from magazines
of the world, and I go to overseas mountain frequently every year. I
ski in world various mountains and photograph. As a result, I
understood good point of Niseko more.

　We who came from the outside of Niseko and novel photograph and
video, these reminded skiing area company of new charm of Hirafu with
local person. Frankly speaking, I think that there is such a fact.

　It is 2005 that I built house and workshop in this place
overlooking Mt. Yotei in the front. Inform charm of this land with ski
and photograph in the world. I think that it is my work with
confidence. Of course work cannot lack in cooperation with friends of
Niseko not oneself alone. And it is important to learn this local
history. I think that it is our duty to hand down it to young
generation recently.