Philbert Ono
Last updated: Aug. 12, 2016
Hello, I'm the owner/operator/writer/editor of PHOTOGUIDE.JP, PhotoGuide Japan, shiga-ken.com, and user photojpn at YouTube.
I'm an American citizen of Japanese ancestry born and raised in Hawaii, USA. Graduated from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. I now live and work in Tokyo, Japan. I am fluent in Japanese--reading, writing, and speaking. For taking pictures of Japan, my favorite subjects are festivals, women in kimono, castles, temples, shrines, sumo, and other traditional Japanese things.
Besides shooting still photos, I also enjoy shooting and editing videos and uploading them to YouTube for all to see. I am a Festival Freak or Matsuri Maniac. I aim to see and shoot as many festivals in Japan as I can during the rest of my life.
I also like to promote tourism in Japan. I want more people from overseas to visit Japan, and want them to know that there's much more than just Tokyo, Kyoto, and Nara. The first step to understanding Japan is to visit this country, even as a tourist. I am most active within the Tokyo to Osaka corridor.
To contact me, click here.
- 1997
- Summer - Article titled Early Showa Photographs co-authored by Philbert Ono and Edward Wright, appears in the summer issue (No. 15) of DARUMA magazine.
- 1999
- May-June - Milan-based Zoom magazine (May-June 1999, No. 32 issue) reviews PhotoGuide Japan in an article called Web Circuit which introduced Japan's best photography Web sites.
- Sep.-Oct. - The Sep.-Oct 1999 issue (No. 34) of Milan-based Zoom magazine runs an article named Vision Japan authored by Philbert who wrote about upcoming photo exhibitions in Japan.
- Oct. 23 - Sponsored and organized by PhotoGuide Japan, the 1st Tokyo International Photo Showcase (TIPS '99) is held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography's hall. Consisted of a slide show (with live music) by several Japanese and overseas photographers.
- 2001
- June - A Japanese book called Home Page Best 5000 is published by ASCII and lists PhotoGuide Japan as one of Japan's best photography Web sites along with Canon, Minolta, Kodak Japan, and Fuji Film.
- Nov. 13-18 - Sponsored and organized by PhotoGuide Japan, the Kyoto International Photo Showcase (KIPS 2001) is held at the Kyoto International Community House. Consisted of a photo exhibition and slide show talk by several Japanese and overseas photographers. Special guests included IZIMA Kaoru (fashionable corpses) and world-famous Spencer Tunick who was visiting Japan.
- 2003
- May - An article on Philbert Ono and PhotoGuide Japan appears in Tokyo-based PhotoStage magazine.
- 2004
- April - PhotoGuide Japan is listed as one of Japan's best photography sites in Nagoya-based Japanzine's the best of Japan on the web 2004 article.
- Nov. - Book Japan: A Self-Portrait : Photographs 1945 - 1964 is published by Paris-based Flammarion. Philbert Ono is cited in the Acknowledgements of the English edition.
- 2005
- Feb. 20 - PhotoGuide Japan is mentioned in a business article in the Honolulu Star Bulletin newspaper in Hawaii.
- April-Aug. - Hiroshima-Nagasaki Photo Exhibition in Genova, Italy is held at the Palazzo Ducale by the city of Genova as part of a large art exhibition. Philbert is co-curator of the photo exhibition.
- June - Photo book and exhibition catalog, Yosuke Yamahata NAGASAKI is published with the collaboration of Philbert.
- Sept. 6 - Invited to give a slide show of Japanese festivals at the Annantalo Arts Centre in Helsinki, Finland.
- Sept. 9-18 - The Kuusamo Nature Photo Festival is held in Kuusamo, Finland. Philbert is invited to give three slide shows featuring works by well-known Japanese nature photographers.
- 2006
- Jan. 1 - PHOTOGUIDE.JP is officially launched as the sister site of PhotoGuide Japan. Geared for tourists in Japan, it features photos and articles about Japan.
- April 9 - The Japan Day event is held at the Annantalo Arts Centre in Helsinki, Finland. For the photo exhibition, Philbert shows photos of Japanese Costumes. It was well attended.
- May-June - Created the English version of Shiga Prefecture's most famous song called Biwako Shuko no Uta or Lake Biwa Rowing Song and unveiled the English lyrics to the public through a photo exhibition called Lake Biwa Rowing Song, In Pictures and English, in Imazu, Shiga Pref. and a public performance of the song on June 3. Local editions of the Asahi Shimbun, Yomiuri Shimbun, Mainichi Shimbun, and Chunichi Shimbun cover the event and exhibition.
- 2007
- May-June - Served as one of the judges for a photo contest called Festimage, held by the city of Chaves in Portugal.
- June 3 - Contributed Japanese festival photos for a Japanese festival video shown at the Japan Day@Central Park," a Japanese cultural festival held in Central Park, New York City that included dance, music, food, a road race, games, and technology. Organized with the support of the Consulate General of Japan.
- June 16 - Produced and released Lake Biwa Rowing Song CD. Asahi Shimbun prints an article about the CD in the Shiga Edition.
- 2008
- Jan. - New book called The Companies We Keep 2 by Bob Sigall is published. It contains many articles about Hawaii's people, companies, and places, filled with interesting tidbits. One article titled An Iolani Palace Outside Hawaii??? is based on my photos of Iolani Palace made of snow at the Sapporo Snow Festival. The book becomes a bestseller like its predecessor book.
- Jan. 8 - Presented a slide show of Shiga Prefecture to incoming spring semester students at the Japan Center for Michigan Universities in Hikone.
- 2009
- Feb 1 - PhotoGuide Japan (photojpn.org) is selected by Japanzine magazine as one of the "Best of Japan On the Web 2009" sites under the Photo Gallery category.
- Sorry, I got tired of bragging about myself so I won't be updating this profile anymore.