As a student at Tokyo Metropolitan University, Kenji Takama first studied Economics. Later, he began working as a camera assistant at Wakamatsu Productions and began shooting commercials, leading to his first assignment as a director of photography on the film Gassan (1978).
While studying Economics at Tokyo Metropolitan University, Kenji Takama initially worked as a camera assistant at Wakamatsu Productions. He then transitioned into commercial filming and was later assigned to direct photography for the film Gassan (1978), his first such role.