A Metropolis in Transition

Compiled by the Japan Foundation in 2018, the travelling exhibition ‘Tokyo Before/After’ juxtaposes images from the 1930s and 1940s with more recent photographs of the city, captured after 2010. The Greater Tokyo Area is home to more than 30 million people, making it one of the largest metropolises in the world. Neither its centre nor its outline are clearly defined: this is a city in a constant state of transformation, where the past, present and future continuously collide.

The world’s fascination with Tokyo grew even stronger when the city hosted the 2020 Olympic Games. This exhibition, which continues at the Japanese Cultural Institute in Cologne until December 10, 2021, enables audiences to see the metropolis from different perspectives. The first part (‘Before’) features images that were originally published in the art magazine KOGA, along with excerpts from the photo book NIPPON, and snapshots by Kuwabara Kineo. The second part (‘After’) comprises works by Nobuyoshi Araki, Daidô Moriyama, Mika Ninagawa, Sato Shintarô, Shinya Arimoto, Natsumi Hayashi, Motoyuki Daifu, and Kenta Cobayashi. With a total selection of around 80 works by numerous outstanding photographers, the exhibition offers fascinating insights into the diverse and vibrant world of the Japanese capital.

For further information visit:
Japanisches Kulturinstitut Köln