Ishikawa's analog photographs frequently capture nature at its most extreme and the people that inhabit it, gaining a broad recognition for his ethnographic sensibility and curiosity, informed by his study of anthropology and ethnography at Waseda University.
[7] Ishikawa’s interest in the outdoors led him to attend rallies raising awareness of environmental issues as a high school student.
Ishikawa began high altitude climbing in his early twenties and quickly became an established climber internationally – at the age of 23, he became the youngest person to reach all seven summits by 2001 (no longer the record holder).
Within the same year he climbed Aconcagua in Argentina, then to Puncak Jaya in Oceania, and finally to the North face of Mount Everest to complete the seven summits.
[16][17] Ishikawa's dedication to the Himalayas can be attributed to his view of the mountains as a "school" where the beautiful, yet harsh, conditions enable him to develop a greater sense of consciousness and appreciation.
He was prompted by a newspaper editor to shoot at least one roll of film per day and keep notes so that they could publish an article or series on Ishikawa’s trip.
[21] Ishikawa continues to shoot primarily with film, namely with the Makina 670 and Mamiya 7 II, and has published photobooks yearly from his travels.
Some of Ishikawa projects are the culmination of years of traveling and research, such as his award winning books Archipelago (2009) and Corona (2010).
[22] Corona (2010) is similarly the combined travels and research of ten years across the Polynesian Triangle, documenting the people and religious customs of the communities within the "invisible continent" through both image and text.
[23] Through his travels, Ishikawa has developed intimate relationships with the people he encountered, notably the sherpa whom have guided many of his climbs.
In addition to photographing his journeys, Ishikawa has also filmed documentary-style short form videos of the areas surrounding the mountains and footage of the climb.
[29] The film follows the fictional narrative of a red figure, played by Yoshigai, set in the town Shari of Shiretoko, the northernmost part of Japan.