is the name given to exhibition spaces and activities run by Nikon

Nikon

, also known as just Nikon, is a multinational corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, specializing in optics and imaging. Its products include cameras, binoculars, microscopes, measurement instruments, and the steppers used in the photolithography steps of semiconductor fabrication, of which...

 in Japan.

The Ginza Nikon Salon (in Ginza

Ginza

is a district of Chūō, Tokyo, located south of Yaesu and Kyōbashi, west of Tsukiji, east of Yūrakuchō and Uchisaiwaichō, and north of Shinbashi.It is known as an upscale area of Tokyo with numerous department stores, boutiques, restaurants and coffeehouses. Ginza is recognized as one of the most...

, Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

) opened in January 1968 (with an exhibition of work by Ihei Kimura

Ihei Kimura

Born on 12 December 1901 in Shitaya-ku , Tokyo, Kimura started taking photographs when very young but his interest intensified when he was around 20 and living in Tainan, Taiwan, where he was working for a sugar wholesaler. He opened a photographic studio in Nippori, Tokyo in 1924...

) to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Nippon Kōgaku (later renamed Nikon). This was later augmented by the Shinjuku Nikon Salon (Shinjuku

Shinjuku, Tokyo

is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative center, housing the busiest train station in the world and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administration center for the government of Tokyo.As of 2008, the ward has an estimated population...

, Tokyo) and the Osaka Nikon Salon (Umeda

Umeda

Umeda is the main commercial and central business district in Kita-ku, Osaka, Japan, best known as the city's main northern railway terminus .Umeda is a large traffic hub, as well as the principal office and hotel district...

, Osaka

Osaka

is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...

). Nikon Salon also holds a biannual international photography contest, gives free portfolio reviews and gives awards for the best exhibitions at the Nikon Salons: the Ina Nobuo Award

Ina Nobuo Award

The is given annually by the Nikon Salon, an organization of exhibition spaces in Japan that is sponsored by Nikon Corporation.The award was started in 1976; it is named in honor of Nobuo Ina, a photography critic who headed the Nikon Salon from 1968 until his death in 1978.The award is given to...

, the Miki Jun Award

Miki Jun Award

Miki Jun Award is an annual award given by Nikon for the best photo show at the Nikon Salon by an artist under 35 years old. The Miki Jun Award was established in 1999 by the Selection Committee of the Nikon Salon. It is named after the documentary photographer Miki Jun.-Prize:The prize consists of...

 and two Miki Jun Inspiration Award

Miki Jun Inspiration Award

The is an award given by the Nikon Salon to photographers under the age of 35. Nikon named the award after the late Jun Miki, one of Japan's pioneers in photojournalism, who was the first Japanese photographer to publish in Life Magazine....

s every December. All of the Nikon Salon's activities are open to photographers who use any camera gear.