In the summer of 2014, photographer Yusuke Yamatani and his wife took a month-long honeymoon hitchhiking and traveling over 2000km from Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido to southwestern Kyushu with a tent and changes of clothes. Yamatani also had his Contax T3 and plenty of black and white film- the photographs from their trip resulting in his self-published book Rama Lama Ding Dong in 2015.
Photographing one’s wife- and indeed, even one’s honeymoon- is certainly not without precedent in Japan. Indeed, diaristic photographs of spouses and lovers can be exhibited and published without accusations of vanity. Yamatani’s contribution to this photographic dialogue is rougher around the edges in the best way possible- the viewer will note the bug bites, public bath visits, and random natural nudity that appears in the series. Speaking with him in the gallery he said that he was not going for a “sentimental” journey, and instead wanted to keep things on his term for this age.
An instant classic which quickly sold out, Rama Lama Ding Dong was reprinted in 2018. The second edition is available via the artist’s website here: Yusuke Yamatani Rama Lama Ding Dong