What's this? Book review of Japan Photo Almanac.

Impressions: The Photographic Society of Japan is Japan's most esteemed photography-related organization. It is non-profit and oversees the development of photographic culture in Japan (though it had nothing to do with the current photography boom in Japan). Established in 1952, it consists of pro photographers, writers, critics, curators, organizations, and corporations (a virtual who's who of Japan's photography world). Many of the Society's officers and directors are presidents of major photo-related manufacturers and organizations and well-established photographers. It has over 600 members. It strives to dessiminate photography-related information overseas and introduce Japan to other countries through photography. It also holds photo exhibitions, seminars and lectures, and publishes pamphlets and books. It also organizes the annual Month of Photography, Tokyo and awards prestigious annual photo awards.

I recently became a member of PSJ and one of the benefits of membership is that you receive the annual Japan Photo Almanac and a quarterly newsletter. The Almanac provides a comprehensive overview of the past year's happenings and trends in photography in Japan. It gives statistics on camera sales, a list of new products introduced, synopses of major photography events in Japan, a list of photo exhibitions held, a list of photo books published, a list of people winning major photo awards, a list of photography schools, winning photos of major photo contests, news summaries from photography organizations and museums, and more. It's most useful if you are a photo historian or if you like to keep track of what goes on in Japan's photography world. It also contains some English translations which are most welcome.

Although the Japan Photo Almanac is not for sale, if you are in Tokyo, you can go to the JCII Library (see PhotoLibraries) or the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography reading room and borrow it for in-house reading. Back issues are also available. (Reviewed by Philbert Ono)

700-5