Sawaguchi’s 30 pages, Sumida’s 20
Sawaguchi leads the BLTISM ORIGINAL section with a 30-page opening feature, photographed by HIROKAZU. The locations range from an unfinished, abandoned building to a Showa-era-style hotel room and the seaside. The publisher describes the aim as making individual photographs feel like scenes from a film.
The released images give those settings distinct moods. Sawaguchi sits on broken concrete beside a gray-blue sea in one photograph; another places her in a wooden armchair against reddish curtains. A third uses a broad expanse of pale tiles, with a yellow textured jacket adding color to her black outfit.
Her connection with the editorial team extends beyond photography. She has appeared on the covers of all three established B.L.T. titles and wrote the essay series Sawaguchi Seikatsu from September 2022 to October 2024.
Sumida closes the issue with 20 pages photographed by Ryoma Kano. A suburban love hotel and the sea at night provide the locations, with the publisher seeking a fleeting, floating atmosphere. The advance photographs move between a mirror-side portrait, a dark setting with pale lingerie and a sparkler illuminating her face as she wears a white blouse.
Sumida previously released her first photobook, PURITY, through the B.L.T. editorial team in February 2023.
Unpublished selections from nine more women
BLTISM SELECTION gathers previously unpublished photographs from B.L.T.-brand shoots produced during spring and summer 2026. Its lineup comprises:
- Kokoro Toyoshima
- Chitose Yoshino of Amaimono Tsumeawase
- Yuzuha Hongo
- Yuzuha Saeki
- Kokoa Kai of STU48
- Nanako Kurosaki
- Otono Sakurai
- Mai Horai
- Momoka Okumura
A separate SPECIAL PICK UP section presents unpublished photographs from Miyu Kishi’s second photobook, ME/YOU, released in July. Her ME/YOU another edition digital companion, scheduled for October 28, is a separate release from this mook.
Regular cover, limited cover or postcard offer?
Both the regular edition and BLTISM VOL.1 limited-cover edition have an announced price of ¥1,650 including tax. The limited version changes the cover imagery, while the publisher says the remaining contents are the same. Sawaguchi and Sumida retain their respective front- and back-cover roles.
Amazon Japan and Rakuten Books are the announced limited-cover retailers. Both use the same limited design; these are not two different retailer-exclusive covers.
Seven Net Shopping’s regular-edition offers instead provide one selected postcard per qualifying copy:
These postcards are retailer bonuses, not a four-card supplement included with every copy. The announced terms are dated October 21 and apply while supplies last; reservation start times may vary. Check the chosen listing’s current conditions before ordering.
Issue details
- Title: BLTISM VOL.1
- Format: Print gravure mook
- Publisher: Tokyo News Service
- On-sale date: November 5, 2026; some regions may differ
- Announced price: ¥1,650 including tax
- Front cover: Aika Sawaguchi
- Back cover: Ayano Sumida
Publication information is available from TOKYO NEWS magazine&mook.
Photography: HIROKAZU for Aika Sawaguchi; Ryoma Kano for Ayano Sumida / Tokyo News Service. The gallery contains six advance editorial photographs and four Seven Net postcard samples, with supplied SAMPLE markings retained. None is finished cover artwork.
Source: Tokyo News Service via PR TIMES
