Children’s Dreams to Be on Display at Osaka Expo Photo Exhibition; Two of the Children Featured Survived Noto Earthquake

The Yomiuri Shimbun

6:00 JST, July 2, 2025

French photographer Vincent Tremeau will hold an exhibition called “One Day, I Will” at the United Nations Pavilion at the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo from July 2 to 10.

The photos feature children, who are facing difficulties due to conflicts or disasters, dressed up as their future selves after achieving their dreams.

Two of the children featured lived through the Noto Peninsula Earthquake: second grader So Matsutani, 7, and fourth grader Yuzuki Achi, 9, both from Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture.

Matsutani’s dream is to become a firefighter. When the earthquake hit, he was at his grandparents’ house in Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture.

“The glass door and the fish tank near the front door broke, and the room was covered with glass, water and kerosene,” said Matsutani’s mother Erika.

The family was worried about a tsunami, so they ran to higher ground. Matsutani was barefoot.

Landslides and bridge collapses left the area isolated. More than five days passed before they could return to their home in Wajima.

Matsutani was inspired by the rescue efforts of firefighters he saw in the days following the earthquake.

“If I become a firefighter, I can protect the people left behind [in the disaster area],” he said. “I wanna become a strong firefighter.”

Achi wants to become a carpenter.

“They work hard all day long, building houses for people,” she said. “It’s so cool.”

The sight of damaged houses being rebuilt seems to have left an impact on her. The photo of her dressed as a carpenter, with her favorite pink towel draped around her neck, will be seen by visitors from all over the world.

“It’s a little embarrassing,” Achi said. “But it’s also kinda cool.”

The exhibition will have 11 panels, featuring children from 10 countries, as well as a video.

Tremeau, 40, has been taking photos focusing on the dreams and hopes of children who are facing humanitarian crises for more than 10 years. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the conflict is protracted, many children dream of becoming soldiers.

Tremeau said the dreams of children are affected by a society that has been created by adults. He added that he hopes the photo exhibition will be an opportunity for children and adults to talk about their dreams.