Ishigaki Shincho moved to Tokyo in 1937 at the age of 22. He worked at Moriyama Photo Studio for two years. It is unclear why he got a first job in Tokyo. It was likely that he moved there just because he accidentally found a suitable job in Tokyo at the right time.

The author: You moved from Taiwan to Tokyo. Which city was the most comfortable to live, Taipei, Kaohsiung, or Tokyo?

Ishigaki: Taiwan was easier. I did not think of living in Tokyo for long [...] I went to Taiwan in Showa 12, wasn't it? I moved to Tokyo, and got a job at Ishibashi Photo Studio at the age of 19. I moved to Tokyo at Showa 15. At that time, Tokyo looked like a rural town, unlike today. I was traveling by tram in Tokyo. Taxi was not common.

During his two-year stay in Tokyo, he married a Yaeyama migrant who was working as an apprentice hairdresser in Tokyo. Then he and his wife moved back to Taiwan and opened his own photo studio.