Andilana, located in the interior of Nosy Be. The white sandy beach is being reborn as a tourist resort, but further inland, where lines of houses dot a pretty landscape, an atmosphere of honest simplicity remains strong.
Sri Pada is a sacred site that has transcended boundaries between Sri Lanka's different religions. During the pilgrimage season, young and old, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu and Christian alike, all climb the steep, graceful mountain trail leading towards the summit.
If you leave Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, and head west towards Kashgar, you can feel, in the towns you pass, a sense of being in another, Islamic country. There are also scattered Buddhist ruins left by the Aryan peoples who once lived in the vicinity of the towns.
On the east side of the town, bustling Uyghur street stalls stand side by side. People work hard at their trade, or steal a nap in the shade, and energetic children play. Under the gentle sunshine, this town bursts with so many different expressions of humanity that it makes your heart sing.
Tashkurgan, on the China-Pakistan border. At this beautiful little village inhabited by Tajiks, travellers coming and going between the two countries can rest their legs. The line of beautiful mountains rejuvenates a body and mind made weary by travel.
The town of Hell-Ville is the gateway to Nosy Be, an outlying island off the northern end of Madagascar. The flavour of town life here, and the liberating feel of a port city combine to bring vivid colour to this small town.
A corner of Kashgar. The landscape of the town, riddled like a maze with charming alleyways, shows us a fragile vision of time rewound. The moment you leave, you tire of the modern townscape and long to return to lose yourself in it once more, hoping to conjure up that vision again and again. Kashgar. The crossroads at the heart of the Silk Road. The crossroads where cultures met.
Grasslands stretch away before you as you emerge from the area where the Uyghurs live. A dazzling vision of blue sky opening out above a carpet of grass.
The region centring upon the capital, Antananarivo, is inhabited by large numbers of Merina, a people of Malay descent. Here, in Antanifotsy, the people closely resemble Asians in appearance.
Ramena, a fishing village not far from the northern tip of Madagascar. The sight of these folk hard at work fishing, singing songs, and making merry by dancing, reminds us of how human beings were originally meant to live. That is, facing life positively, and embracing the happiness that is here in front of us right now.
Majunga is a port town with a large Muslim population. Empty houses stand in white, silent lines, as the evening sun, sinking into the sea, casts an aura of magic over the town.
Hotan. They say on some days such clouds of dust blow up that you cannot see in front of you. The vague shapes floating beyond the dust clouds are the real thing: an ancient oasis city.
Two kilometres from Matara lies the impressive seashore of Polhena. A sunset watched from the outlying islands is a sight that stays imprinted on the traveller's mind.
"OTHER PLACES" is a series of films that capture the character of town life in different places around the globe. Take a look inside the everyday world of people somewhere different.
This is Tsuyoshi Tokunaga's personal projects.
You can see and download high quality data in my website.
Sambava is a small town on the east coast. People live peacefully in this settlement cut out of the forest, that looks as if fills in the gaps between the thickly-growing trees.
Just a few kilometres from Bandarawela, the small, quiet village of Ella stands amongst the mountains. The mountains covered with tea plantations, and a small, sleepy station are its pride.
Ten kilometres from Tissamaharama is the coastal village of Kirinda, which looks out over the Indian Ocean. Arthur C. Clarke was enraptured with this charming tropical village.
These shops, essential to the lives of the local people, stand in a line at the town's market place, and do a brisk business from the crowds. The robust joie de vivre of the inhabitants virtually bursts out from the town. An overwhelming surge of LIFE seems to well up from it.
Entering the highlands in the central region of Madagascar, the landscape changes completely, and the temperature plummets to an uncomfortable chill. The towns, however, continue to give an impression of Asian delicacy.
