How Hiroki Ryo embraces minimalism by the ocean
A simple house, the vast ocean, family and surfing – Hiroki Ryo left Tokyo behind to live Yohaku: the Japanese concept of finding beauty in empty spaces and abundance in nothingness.
Hiroki Ryo was once an engineer in Tokyo before deciding to leave city life behind. Today, he lives in a traditional Japanese house in Chiba Prefecture, two hours from the capital. His days are spent with his family, surfing the Pacific waves, and growing passionfruit on a small farm he acquired for free.
The short film Yohaku by director Fabien Voileau captures Hiroki’s daily life and philosophy, centred around the Japanese concept of Yohaku – the beauty and calm found in emptiness. Voileau first met Hiroki in 2016 on a surf trip with friends from Tokyo, when they stopped along the way to pick him up. Hiroki’s minimalist lifestyle, free from the overstimulation of the city, immediately intrigued him.
For the film, the team spent three hot summer days with Hiroki and his family. Through still, quiet frames, Yohaku reflects the simplicity that defines Hiroki’s world today: less noise, more space to breathe – and the deep contentment of living simply.