Right Here, Right Now

In the Midst of a Back-and-Forth Journey

I started “JAPAN ORDINARY -photos-” on Substack in the spring of 2023, and introduced a paid subscription plan a year later. Even so, I initially kept all my posts free to read. My hope was that if there were readers who kindly wanted to support my work, their generosity would help me keep this project going for as long as possible.

To my delight, a few readers signed up for the paid plan right away. Soon after, however, I began to feel anxious. I found myself wondering: Is my work truly meeting their expectations? And is it really okay to offer absolutely no perks to the people who stepped forward to support me?

After some hesitation, I soon began posting paid articles, but the criteria for what should be kept behind a paywall has remained vague up until now.

In the first place, I started “JAPAN ORDINARY -photos-” not to make a profit by selling content, but out of a pure desire to help as many people as possible get to know Japan through my photographs. Putting a portion of that content behind a paywall completely defeats the original purpose.

I have been thinking long and hard about how to balance fulfilling the true purpose of this publication with showing gratitude to those who support my work. In the end, I decided to return to my original intention and make all the core articles of “JAPAN ORDINARY -photos-” available for free.

Instead, although they stray slightly from the main concept of this publication, I’ve decided to start sharing my personal notes and miscellaneous writings—which I think those who support my work would likely find interesting—as a paid, exclusive bonus gift for them. For now, the schedule will be irregular, but my ultimate goal is to deliver these on a regular, weekly basis.

At this point, the number of my supporters remains very limited. However, I am truly grateful for the precious contributions I receive from them, and I am actually using the funds to cover part of my photography expenses. I would like to take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude to all of you, and I look forward to your continued support.

SHIMIZU Akira