By day, Tomoyuki Shioya is an office worker, but on weekends and after work, he gets down to his true passion in life: Sticking his face in holes.
In case you're wondering what he is sticking his face into, these are cutout boards. In Japan, they're typically placed at tourist sites. Shioya has traveled across Japan for 10 years, taking photos of more than 2,400 cutout boards.
"I wasn't so obsessed with cutout boards at the beginning," Shioya said. "I simply took photos whenever I spotted these boards during my travel."
Before he knew it, he began travelling in search of more cutout boards across Japan.
本の出版に際しまして、西荻窪にあります旅の本屋のまどさんにて、トークイベントをやらせていただくことになりました。９月１０日です。お時間ありましたら是非。 http://t.co/GCWLulNsrJ
His obsession has also led him to appearances on TV shows, in magazines, and in newspapers. He has even published a book about “the way of the cutout board,” introducing some of his favorite boards and “behind the scenes” stories.
What's so fun about putting your face inside a hole? Only one way to find out... tag along with him.
Earlier this month, I followed Shioya to a local zoo. He showed me how he takes his cutout board photos. First, he takes a photo of the back of the board.
Then he sets up a tripod right in front of the board and shoots another photo, with no face stuck in the hole.
Afterwards, you set your camera on automatic or ask someone for help, you quickly position yourself to fit your face in the cutout board. However, as Shioya lowered his face in the hole, he muttered, "this board is impossible."
He began analyzing the next board. "This hole is a pretty good one despite the thickness of the board."
This is what the board looked like from behind. Surprisingly, it even had handles for people to hold onto while their photos were being taken.
And that meant...
I had to put my face in one of those holes.
Twice.
So you might be wondering one thing about his photos.
顔ハメ看板トークショーにお越し下さった方、来ようとしてくださった方、ありがとうございます。会場の顔ハメ、自分のカメラで撮影するのを忘れていたので、家に帰って再組み立て。また何かやる時に持って行きますので、見かけたらハマってください。
昨日から北陸顔ハメ旅行に。富山市ファミリーパークさんは看板の置き方まで工夫してあって素敵です。目当ての看板が一枚無くなっていましたが、七枚新設されているという謎のフィーバーが。
He is not smiling in ANY of the photos.
今年中に改装しちゃうと噂の帯広は幸福駅にやっとこれました。売店のおじさんに、看板だけ残らないですかねーと気軽に世間話をしたら、「看板は俺のだから残しとくわ」との意外なアンサーが。言いながら何回かタバコを落とされておりました。
"A lot of people will take photos for a keepsake, but I believe the main character here is the cutout board, not the person. That's why I try not to stand out," Shioya said about his emotionless face. He explained that he is "just filling an empty space" on the board.
"As a way to show respect to these boards, I also don't drink alcohol before I take photos."
"To be honest, I've never thought about reshooting photos because a new cutout board is constantly being created. Cutout boards come and go. Instead of reshooting the old ones, I'd rather go find new places for new boards."
When BuzzFeed News asked about his goal, he answered, "cutout boards never cease to exist. I want to continue putting my face in holes until I die." Shioya paused for a moment and continued, "as a matter of fact, I want my coffin to be a cutout too."
CORRECTION
Shioya has visited around 2,400 cutout boards. An earlier version for this article misstated that.