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Photo Book Project for Junior High School Students

This project provides opportunities for junior high school students in the disaster-stricken areas to experience photography.
Nikon donated digital cameras to all participating junior high schools so that students could create their own photo books. Each school determines its own themes and once the themes have been decided upon, students are free to take photos, choose the ones they particularly like, and then, beside their photos, they are encouraged to convey their feelings through words. The next step is for Nikon to turn their pictures into photo books and, subsequently, Nikon will present each student with their completed photo book. Further to this, Nikon helps the students by arranging photography classes and supporting exhibitions held in school.
Nikon anticipates that the project will help junior high school students share various feelings with others and hopes that it will encourage the students, through this creative process, to exploit their own individual strength for the sake of reconstruction.

In co-operation with:

Nikon Donated Photo Books to 46 Junior High Schools and the Educational Board


Joint exhibition for reconstruction was held by three schools including Shichigou Junior High School at Nikon Plaza Sendai. Photo Books were presented to the student representative of Shichigou Junior High School.

Nikon donated photo books to 46 junior high schools in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima Prefectures and to the educational board in Fukushima. These junior high schools were participating in the project in the fiscal year ending March 2013. A total of 3,724 photo books were presented to each of the participating students.
At the beginning of winter, the students and teachers in charge of the project put in a last spurt to create their photo books. From January 2013, they had completed their distinctive and unique photo books, school after school.

The participating junior high schools will also join in next year's project. (This article was written in March 2013)


Rikuzentakata Daiichi Junior High School


Kamaishi Toni Junior High School


Kuji Osanai Junior High School

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Student Photo Exhibition at School Cultural Festival

During the autumn cultural festival season, students at 38 project-participating junior high schools hosted photo exhibitions.
Nikon provided A3-size photo prints to schools that requested the printing service. Titles and comments by the students were attached to many of the exhibited photo prints. Some of them were displayed with a student's tanka. The exhibited photos displayed the students' feelings for their parents and other local people. (This article was written in November 2012)


Photo exhibition at the Rikuzentakata Yonezaki Junior High School Cultural Festival in Iwate


Photo exhibition at the Marumori Junior High School Cultural Festival in Miyagi


Photo exhibition at Oofunato Junior High School in Iwate. Each photo was exhibited with a student's tanka.

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Photography Classes for Students

Nikon provided a photography class for students of the project-participating junior high schools. The class was held at 30 junior high schools. Instructors were members of the Digital Camera Volunteer Association, operated by former Nikon employees and others. After the first class was held in late June, the instructors toured the junior high schools and conducted the last class in November. Over the next few months, the students will work on their photos for the compilation of a photo book. (This article was written in November 2012)


Lecture by a former Nikon employee, a member of the Digital Camera Volunteer Association


Students took shots of classmates to learn proper camera handling.


Instructor advises students on practical shooting techniques.

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The Schools Invited to Participate in the Photo Book Project for Junior High School Students in the Fiscal Year Ending March 2013 Have Been Decided

In the fiscal year ending March 2013, the project will be rolled out across 46 junior high schools and one educational board in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima Prefectures. Nikon will donate digital cameras to them all, one after another. As they go about their school lives and over the course of one year, students at participating schools will devise the content of their own photo books. (This article was written in June 2012).


Students at Shichigahama Junior High School take shots during their introduction to agriculture.


This one-year project is also underway at Kamaishi Toni Junior High School.

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Nikon Presents Photo Books to Students at Three Participating Junior High Schools

During the fiscal year ending March 2012, Nikon staged the Photo Book Project for junior high school students in co-operation with the Recovery Assistance Media Team. The photo books were completed by mid-March and presented to students at the three participating junior high schools in Iwate Prefecture: Kamaishi Toni Junior High School, Kamaishi East Junior High School and Ofunato Daiichi Junior High School. Nikon will continue the project, anticipating that it will help junior high school students to share similar feelings with others and to utilize their own innate strength for the sake of reconstruction. (This article was written in March 2012.)

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A Photo Exhibition during the Cultural Festival at Kamaishi Toni Junior High School

Nikon donated compact digital cameras to Kamaishi Toni Junior High School via the Recovery Assistance Media Team soon after the earthquake struck so that students could use them. They then hosted a photo exhibition at the cultural festival. Under the leadership of teacher Junichi Hirano, the students had taken shots in keeping with the following themes: "Signs of recovery"; "Devastation wrought by the earthquake"; and "Smiles". They added titles and captions to their pictures, displaying them alongside personal comments. Nikon then assisted them by printing their work for the display. The cultural festival itself took place in the school's gym, which doubled as a classroom after the disaster had struck. Many local people turned out at the festival. (The exhibition was held in November 2011.)


Many local people visited the school festival


A work created by Mari Ueno, Kamaishi Toni Junior High School


A work created by Miki Ohtaki, Kamaishi Toni Junior High School