Higashikawa Youth Fest
Each August, SENKŌ’s winning team of three students and their supervising teacher joins the Higashikawa Youth Photo Festival, alongside student photographers from over 15 countries, all expenses paid. A week of shooting Hokkaido’s landscapes, mentorship from professional artists, and cultural exchange, closing with an exhibition of the photos they made there.
"Participating in the Higashikawa Youth Photo Festival changed how I see photography. I used to focus on making a photo beautiful. Now I care more about what story it tells. Going up against so many skilled teams from all over the world really showed me how much more I still have to grow. I want to keep shooting, especially photos of people, because everyone has their own story worth capturing."
Danish, SENKO Winner 2026
PNU Wittayanusorn School Narathiwat
“SENKŌ opened up my world. By winning and traveling to Japan, I made friends from other countries for the first time in my life. And up until this point, my whole life had been just about studying and chasing a good job as the adults told me. But now, I know I can build a future doing what I actually love. “
Pao, SENKO Winner 2026
PNU Wittayanusorn School Narathiwat
"Traveling to Japan and participating in the Higashikawa Youth Photofest made me braver. I used to overthink many things and hesitated to try anything new. But finding myself in a new place, a new culture, surrounded by people from all over the world it showed me I can do more than I thought, both in photography and beyond."
Naowal, SENKO Winner 2026
PNU Wittayanusorn School Narathiwat
About the town
Higashikawa is the only town in Japan to officially declare itself the "town of photography," a title it has held since 1985. Set inside Daisetsuzan, Japan's largest national park, it's home to the country's longest-running photography festival, drawing photographers from around the world to a town of just over 8,000 people. Faced with the same population decline many rural areas in Japan struggle with, Higashikawa chose photography as a way to stay connected to the world rather than fade from it, and that spirit is exactly what SENKŌ's winning team steps into each August.
"Watching my students on this trip, I saw real change. They became more responsible, more willing to talk to people they'd never met, more confident trying a language they didn't know. Photography became a universal language for them, a way to connect across cultures without needing the same words. They came back more patient, more open, and I think they'll keep growing from this long after the trip ended.”
Teacher Ton, SENKO Winner 2026
PNU Wittayanusorn School Narathiwat