Since time immemorial, flying freely as a bird has always been our dream. "Today's Levitation," a unique photo collection by Natsumi Hayashi, was certainly inspired by this yearning.

The book is a collection of snapshots that apparently feature a young lady's slice-of-life scenes, but with the twist of her appearing to be gliding through the air, free as a bird. At first glance, you can’t be blamed for wondering whether these photographs are computer-generated composites since the levitations look too unrealistic to be true. However, ever since January 1, 2011, when Ms. Hayashi launched her blog by the same name (http://yowayowacamera.com/), where she originally featured these photographs, she has never turned to such digital trickery. It has always been a straightforward case of her jumping in the air momentarily, sans special effects. And at times, she is said to have even jumped nearly a hundred times for the perfect shot. In my opinion, this seems to have worked phoenomenally well, with her live performance delivering far more impact than what any photoshopped photograph could have achieved.

The blog "Today's Levitation" went viral on Twitter and Facebook before its popularity spread rapidly across Asia. She has already staged an exhibition in Taiwan and published her photo book there. This is a shining example of how social media can help create a publishing sensation, and it certainly promises to become a more prevalent means of promotion in the future.

Koji Chikatani
Senior Agent
Japanese Writers' House