韓国での驚きを写真に　　腕前プロ級　韓国メディアも紹介
エッセー集を出版した小川裕司さん　５２
                                                                                                           「読売新聞　国際版　 11 月 7 日」

「毎日が刺激的なことばかりです」
韓国での暮らしの中で感じた驚きを写真と短文でつづったエッセー集「なんせんちょうむ（生まれて初めて）」（エヌ・エヌ・エー）を今年６月に出版した。
日本郵船の韓国現地法人「ＮＹＫラインコリア」の副社長を務めるかたわら、休日にはカメラを持って韓国各地を巡る。愛用するのは一眼レフカメラ、写真の腕前はプロ並みだ。日韓のちょっとした文化の違いをユーモラスに表現したエッセーは韓国メディアにも取り上げられ、「日本人は韓国のこんな点を不思議に感じている」と話題を集めた。
写真を本格的に始めたのはシドニーに駐在していた２０００年。色鮮やかに咲く花に魅了され、記録したいと思ったのがきっかけだった。次第に自分のイメージを自由に表現できるカメラのとりこになり、シドニーに住むプロカメラマン金森マユさんに師事した。
金森さんからのアドバイスは「最初は対象を１つのものに集中した方がいい」。
シドニーでは花だけを撮り続けた。
バラやモクレン、チューリップなどオーストラリアに咲く花々の美しさだけではなく、枯れ始めたところや風で曲がった部分なども立体的にとらえた写真は高い評価を得て、０４年には写真集「豪花」を出版した。
シドニーでは仕事に追われながらも、アフター５には様々な業界の友人とも酒を酌み交わし、小川さんの活動を応援する友人らがボランティアグループ「プロジェクトＯ２」を結成した。
昨年４月、ソウルに転勤した。日本に似た街の風景に親しみを感じ、前に来たことがあるような既視感さえ覚えた。
しかし、暮らしてみると驚きの連続だった。地下鉄や高速道路に突如現れる物売り、かき氷を食べる前に執拗にかき混ぜるカップル、病院で行われる葬儀、ビールグラスにブランデーを入れて飲み干す爆弾酒――。
「顔や景色は似ているのにこんなに違うとは」。
驚いたことを写真におさめるようになった。
日本と最も違うと感じたのは、人と人の距離感。友人同士は同姓でも手をつないで歩き、食事は常にだれかと一緒。ビビンバを食べようとしたら見かねた店員がスプーンを取り上げ、「こうやって混ぜてから食べるんだ」と教えるようにかき混ぜた。
「中に入ってみると面白い世界だと感じた」。
エッセーでは、ビビンバや同じ場所に止まらないバスを必死に客が追いかける写真に、「なんせんちょうむ（こんなの初めて）」との短文を添え、率直に驚きを表現した。
「ちょっとした文化の違いを知らないと誤解が生まれてしまう。互いの違いを理解すれば、相互理解も深まるのでは」。
今後は、日本で暮らす韓国人が驚きを感じる事も写真で紹介していきたいという。今月１４日からは、前任地のシドニーでも、韓国で撮影した写真展を開催する予定だ。
約２８年の会社生活のうち１１年以上は海外勤務だった。「退職後はこれまで赴任した地をもう一度巡り、友人とふれ合いながら写真を撮り続けたい」。夢は広がるばかりだ。


小川裕司（おがわゆうじ）さん（５２）

略歴
名古屋市生まれ。 １９７８年早稲田大学政治経済学部卒。 同年、日本郵船に入社。９０～９５年、シンガポールに勤務。２０００年から０５年３月までシドニーの現地法人「ＮＹＫロジスティクス・オーストラリア」社長。０５年４月から韓国現地法人「ＮＹＫラインコリア」副社長。


Captures surprising Korea
He is like a professional photographer, and Korean media covered him a lot.
Mr. Yuji Ogawa (52) who published an essay book
THE DAILY YOMIURI 2006.11.07

“I find something exciting everyday.”

Mr. Ogawa published his first photo essay book “ Nan Seng Cheo Um” (NNA) in June of this year. He writes what he found surprising in his everyday life in Korea with his photos.

While being a vice president of NYK Line Korea, he travels around many places in Korea with his camera. His favorite camera is a single-lens reflex camera. His photo-taking skill is like a professional photographer. He depicts small differences between Japanese and Korean cultures in a unique way. His unique point view has received a lot of attention from Korean media.

He really went into taking photos in 2000 when he worked in Sydney. He wanted to record brilliantly colored blooming flowers. It was how he started taking photos. He gradually became more fascinated by a camera, by which he was freely able to capture what he saw, and then he started studying under Ms. Mayu Kanamori, professional photographer living in Sydney. Ms. Kanamori advised him to take a single object at first. Thus, he continuously took flowers in Sydney. He took photos of not only roses, magnolia, tulips and other beautifully blooming flowers in Australia, but also dying flowers and flowers bent by wind. His photos were highly evaluated, and he eventually published a photo book “GOKA (Australian Flora)” in 2004.

While being pressed by work in Sydney, Mr. Ogawa still got a drink with friends after hours and enjoyed his life. His friends who supported activities of Mr. Ogawa formed a volunteer group “Project O2” there.

He was transferred to Seoul in April of last year. When he first came to Korea, he felt that town scenery in Seoul was similar to Japan and even felt like he had been there before. However, once he started living in Seoul, he experienced endless surprises. Sellers who suddenly appear in a subway train and on a highway, a couple earnestly mixing ‘ pappinsue' before eating, funeral at the hospital, ‘Bomb Liquor' that is a mixture of beer and brandy, and so on.

“Faces of people are so similar to Japanese, and town scenery is similar to that in Japan, but why things are so different.” He started taking photos of things he found surprising. The biggest difference he found was distance between people. Friends of the same sex walk holding their hands. Korean people don't eat meals alone. When he ate bi-bim bob, a restaurant lady took his spoon and started stirring it for him. She seemed like teaching him how to eat it.

“I felt it is a very interesting community once I stepped into it,” he states.

In his essay book, he frankly expressed his surprise with a short essay including a phrase “ Nan Seng Cheo Um”, which means for the first time in my life in Korean, and interesting photos like bi-bim bob or people running after a bus that doesn't stop at a bus stop.

“If you don't know small cultural differences, it often causes misunderstanding between people. If you try to understand differences, it deepens mutual understanding,” he said.

Mr. Ogawa wants to introduce what Koreans living in Japan feel surprised with photos in the future.

Starting from 14th of this month, his photo exhibition will be held in Sydney where he used to live.

He worked overseas for over 11 years in his 28-year business career. “After retirement, I would like to visit the places I used to work and take photos while interacting with my long-time friends.” His dream has no end.


Yuji Ogawa (52)
He was born in Nagoya. He was graduated from International Politics Department of Waseda University in 1978, and stared working at NYK Line in the same year. He worked in Singapore from 1990 to 1995, and in Sydney from 2000 to March of 2005, as a president of NYK Logistics Australia. He has been a vice president of NYK Line Korea since April of 2005.