“Like a friend who just dropped in” – A photojournalist captures MUSASHI’s natural expression
Ishitomi Property Co., Ltd. Press Release: October 15, 2025 “Like a friend who just dropped in” – A photojournalist captures MUSASHI’s natural expression. Don’t resist the flow, enjoy the vibes, and capture the moments that come naturally in photographs. The “MUSASHI of the World Solo Exhibition,” held at the Osaka-Kansai Expo in July, featured the participation of approximately 150 companies, organizations, and celebrities, and exhibited approximately 100 collaborative works with the artist MUSASHI. Who is “Popo-chan,” who appeared at the exhibition “like a friend dropping in” and photographed MUSASHI and the people around him? With all due respect, it turns out he’s a male photographer with a striking face and character, far removed from the image one might imagine from his cutesy nickname. I met Teppei Kojima of TRADMAN’S BONSAI, who exhibited a magnificent bonsai at the entrance to my solo exhibition, at a party two years ago and have been friends ever since. He even asked me to photograph the opening of a TRADMAN’S BONSAI shop in Marunouchi, Tokyo, and the two have continued to have a personal and professional relationship. Through this connection, Popo-chan was invited to join me, so I decided to join. “Actually, I had never met MUSASHI-kun or heard anything about him until I arrived at the Expo’s solo exhibition venue. I went there without knowing anything, but I headed there with the feeling that something fun would happen.”
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URL: https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/148782/61/148782-61-cd72e6bffbd92fc3958517f89d909901-2112×1408.jpg “At that time, I heard MUSASHI and the staff talking about their future plans, like ‘going out into the world, going to Los Angeles,’ and all of a sudden, I had a vision of it. I could see myself accompanying him and capturing that moment. MUSASHI is shy, but the moment our eyes met, I felt something powerful about him, and he has a charming side to him. I felt that my job was to capture those casual moments and share them with people who don’t know him yet.” Popo-chan is also a creative, sensual artist with a unique charm. The path to becoming party photographer “Popo-chan” When he was 13 years old and in his second year of junior high school, he went on a homestay abroad and there were frequent parties, so he would take pictures with the film camera he had with him. He then studied abroad in Canada for high school and went on to college in the United States, experiencing life abroad. At the time, he wanted to be an actor, but when he returned to Japan and auditioned, he was told that he was “too strong-willed to be an actor.” Just when he began to think that maybe this wasn’t the path he wanted to take, at the age of 23, he started a photography company in collaboration with his father’s wedding-related business. At first, he worked as an organization, employing people, but he found it difficult to teach others in a world where intuition is everything, so at the age of 27, he decided to go it alone. Now, in addition to weddings, he is often commissioned as a party photographer, for events such as reception parties for international brands. “When I was younger, I called myself ‘SHOWGO WESTFIELD,’ and would carry a big camera and give off the vibe of a real photographer,” he says. Now, he works under the name “Popo-chan,” finding it soft and approachable. The work of photojournalism: seeing the breath of life Popo-chan’s work allows you to feel the real breath of people as they rejoice, cry, or joke around. “A wedding is just one day, but the effort put into preparations leading up to it, the conflicts and arguments along the way, and all of these things add up to the wedding. It’s more interesting to be able to capture that atmosphere.” She calls her work “photojournalism.” Her brand name, G.Q.W.P, is an abbreviation of G (Global) Q (Quality) W (Wedding) P (Photojournalism). She openly expresses the reality of what happens at weddings, including what goes on behind the scenes.
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https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/148782/61/148782-61-115997da66816406984cae3272800511-2048×1365.jpg I want to be there as if I’m hanging out as a friend, capturing the expressions of people’s fleeting moments. I usually use a Leica camera. One reason is that it’s smaller than a large SLR camera, so even if I carry it around and hold it, no one will think I’m a photographer. Because I look like just another friend hanging out, I can capture the natural expressions of the people there. As he grew older and gained more experience, he threw off his armor and faced the world in order to take the photos he truly wanted to take. Now, he seems natural and having a lot of fun.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/148782/61/148782-61-959c7e1685e5691be34b3cefcabb3bc4-1793×2700.jpg 《Collaboration Artist Information》 ■Artist Name: POPO-chan ■Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gqwedding_official ■Profile: A visual storyteller who captures emotions. A photojournalist who captures the most emotional moments, from weddings to fashion brand parties. Centered around his own brand, G.Q.W.P., he has developed a unique style that “captures the atmosphere.” What he values is the “power of encounter” — sensing the flow and vibes of the scene, and continuing to capture the stories of the people and the atmosphere in his photographs. 《Secretariat information》 ■Name: Expo Musashi Solo Exhibition Secretariat ■Main Tel: 06-6606-9638 ■Email:
ishitomi.expoinfo@gmail.com ■Address: 1-40 Torikai Meiki-cho, Settsu City, Osaka Prefecture, 566-0063 《Company Information》 ■Name: Ishitomi Property Co., Ltd. ■Representative: Representative Director Nakai Kenta ■Address: 3-30-4 Dotno, Neyagawa City, Osaka 572-0077
■Established: February 2015 ■Capital: 17 million yen ■HP:
https://musashi-ishitomi-art.com/ 《Artist Information》 ■Name: MUSASHI ■Birthplace: Neyagawa City, Osaka Prefecture ■Age: Born in 2003 Since childhood, he has loved creating three-dimensional sculptures, and began painting seriously in junior high school. Originally from Neyagawa City, he skillfully incorporates markers, acrylics, and face paint to create colorful works and characters. Please take note of his skill and style in incorporating works inspired by beats and lyrics, as well as floral patterns, into canvases, digital art, and
three-dimensional sculptures, conveying messages ranging from positive to dark. ■SNS: https://www.instagram.com/musashi_ishitomi?igsh=M2ZuMTJlY3AxanNh
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