For its second edition, the festival moved to the historic Tokyo neighborhood of Asakusabashi—a district celebrated for its quiet craft traditions and creative heritage. Building on our debut, the 2026 gathering deepened its focus on curatorial care, new book launches, and close artistic exchange.

Alongside a curated group exhibition, a photobook showcase, and open dialogues, this edition proudly celebrated the inaugural Ephemere Photobook Grant—honoring and supporting dedicated long-term visual storytelling with direct patronage and a lasting home in print.

Ultimately, the Asakusabashi edition affirmed what the festival is built to be: a generous, grounded ecosystem where the Ephemere community and the broader photography world gather to share work that endures.

Our inaugural edition launched in Shibuya, Tokyo, featuring visual artists from across the globe in a grassroots celebration of meaningful photography. What began as a quiet vision from a Tokyo home studio blossomed into a moving convergence of cultures, perspectives, and printed matter.

Throughout the gathering, gallery walls came alive with international print showcases while tables highlighted newly released photobooks and group publications. The 2025 edition also marked the official print debut of the Ephemere Photo Journal, establishing the tactile foundation of our publishing practice.

Shibuya set the enduring spirit of the festival—uniting artists from our group publications with kindred friends from around the world, turning names on a page into lifelong creative allies.

Released in 2025 alongside our inaugural Tokyo festival, the debut volume of the Ephemere Photo Journal explores the delicate tension of “Duality Through Ephemerality.” Bringing together visual stories and written reflections, this issue sits inside the spaces where two truths meet.

Through quiet photographic sequences and intimate essays, contributing artists examine presence and absence, permanence and passing, light and shadow. Rather than seeking easy resolution, each page honors the fragile balance that shapes human memory.

Designed as a tactile object meant to be held and revisited slowly, Volume I established the editorial heartbeat of Ephemere in print—inviting readers to pause and dwell within the quiet beauty of impermanence.

Published in 2026, our second volume expands the conversation through the theme of “Triplicities Through Ephemerality.” Moving beyond binary contrasts, this edition investigates how meaning deepens when a third presence enters the frame—connecting past, present, and what endures.

Across curated photographic series and thoughtful prose, contributors reflect on the intersections of body, memory, and spirit, as well as the quiet triangle between maker, subject, and viewer. Every spread offers a contemplative rhythm of discovery.

Continuing our commitment to enduring craft and honest storytelling, Volume II gathers diverse international perspectives into a single physical sanctuary—celebrating the subtle threads that bind fragile moments together.

THE JOURNAL TEAM

Publisher

Anne Murayama

Editor

Khanjan Purohit

Design

Vol. 1 - Wuthipol Ujathammarat
Vol. 2 - Catarina Ferreira & Ricardo Figueiredo (Qualia Collective)

Printing

Printed in Kyoto, Japan, with the support of Kyoto Shimbun Printing.

Hosted occasionally in Tokyo and other prefectures, the Ephemere Photobook Club is an intimate, casual meetup for photography lovers and makers to connect in person. Rather than formal lectures, these sessions center on shared curiosity and tactile discovery.

Each participant brings along a favorite photobook—whether a published monograph they admire or a personal work of their own—to pass around, read, and discuss together. Every gathering also includes a print exchange, allowing members to trade small physical photographs.

Open to longtime friends and newcomers alike, the club nurtures a welcoming circle where stories are held in hand and lasting creative friendships take root.

Alongside our annual festival, Ephemere stages occasional Special Exhibitions—spanning both photography showcases and dedicated photobook exhibitions, including our presentation for KG+ Special in Kyoto. Conceived with quiet care, each show transforms intimate spaces into places for reflection.

Whether displaying framed prints on the wall or creating tactile reading-room installations where visitors can leaf through artist editions, every exhibition is thoughtfully sequenced to honor the emotional weight of the work.

By keeping our exhibition calendar selective and intentional, we ensure that every project presented receives deep curatorial attention and genuine engagement.

Beyond our own gatherings, Ephemere travels globally to share our physical publications at independent Artbook & Photobook Fairs—connecting face-to-face with fellow publishers, designers, and readers in vibrant creative hubs.

Since 2023, we have presented our catalog at the Kuala Lumpur Art Book Fair, Taipei Art Book Fair, Singapore International Photography Festival, and Indonesia Photo Fair, alongside Row 770 at the Angkor Photo Festival, the Kyotographie Photobook Fair, and the Tokyo Art Book Fair.

Next, we return home to exhibit at the Tokyo Art Book Fair 2027 during Week 2 (January 29–31), continuing our commitment to placing meaningful books directly into readers' hands.