Tokyo through time and lens

You’ve never seen Tokyo like this before. TOKYO Before/After, a traveling photography exhibit, debuts in Metro Manila at the East Wing third floor of Estancia Mall at Capitol Commons, Pasig City, and runs until 31 July.

Curated by photography critic Kotaro Iizawa, the exhibit features about 80 works that capture life in Tokyo from the 1930s to 1940s, juxtaposed with images taken after 2010. The comparison of these two distinct periods brings Tokyo to life in the past, present, and future lenses.

TOKYO Before/After portrays Japan’s capital as a living, evolving organism. From the city’s early beginnings as a modern metropolis to the Tokyo that we know now, the exhibit is a photographic journey of significant moments and never-before-seen imagery of two specific time periods.

“The aim of the exhibition, through the works of Japanese photographers and their specific context, is to encourage a deeper understanding of Tokyo as a vast city of many, different faces. We hope that this exhibition will be enjoyed by both photography enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts alike,” said Ben Suzuki, director of the Japan Foundation, Manila.

The “Before” section shows Tokyo’s formative years during the wartime period of the 1930s to 1940s. Photographers from this era used emerging means of photographic expression to capture vibrant images of urban space, where tradition and modernity come together. This section includes shots from photography magazine Koga, the Nippon photobook, and Kineo Kuwabara’s snapshots of downtown Tokyo.

In the “After” section, photos of the 2010s show Tokyo’s transformation until the 2020 Olympic Games. The photographers of this time emphasized their individual perspectives while incorporating elements of rapid digitization. Featured here are works by celebrated Japanese photographers Nobuyoshi Araki, Mika Ninagawa, Natsumi Hayashi, and Shinya Arimoto, among many others.

Additionally, Ortigas Malls has made the exhibit more rewarding with the special TOKYO B/A Day Pass, given every time visitors drop by. Inspired by Tokyo’s subway day passes, this allows exhibit visitors to avail of freebies and promos from participating Estancia merchants within the day. Estancia Mall’s opening hours from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., from Monday to Thursday, and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday to Sunday.