Housed in three showrooms at Tashkent House of Photography, the exhibition breathes Japan’s new and old history. The 360 photos show us complex and sharp images interspersed with serene and light environments, drawing a dynamic development of Tokyo as a megacity and the capital of a powerful country with a rich cultural and historical heritage.

The opening ceremony of the exhibition included an address by Mayumi Moriyama, the president of the Japan Institute of Photography, read out by Hiroshi Yano of the said Institute. “The inauguration of the exhibition “Tokyo at 100” as part of cultural exchange between Japan and Uzbekistan and as part of Style.Uz Art Week 2011 fills me with a deep sense of pride and joy,” the message read. “With this in mind, I would like to say special thanks to the Fund Forum, the Academy of Arts of Uzbekistan and the Embassy of Japan that helped to make this event possible. These photos, created by leading Japanese photographers in various periods of the 20th century, will show the Uzbek public how the city of Tokyo has changed and developed over time. This exhibition, being held in the very heart of Central Asia, will help to boost Uzbek-Japanese cooperation and fit in perfectly with Style.Uz Art Week 2011.”

“Tokyo at 100” exemplifies the way black-and-white photography can provide a more vivid, more expressive account of events than color photography. According to visitors to the exhibition, the black-and-white snapshots make it more interesting and easier to see subtleties.

The 20th century marked many historic events for Japan, and each artwork reflects priceless segments of the past. History, national culture, traditions, bits of a military period, Americanization, industrialization, key figures in politics, art, sports and fashion – all of these are carefully retained in the photos that provide an account of Japan, bridging the distance and making it more understandable to the Uzbek viewer.

“Looking at the photos here, I realize there’s so much I didn’t know about my country, and these photos are helping me fill the gap,” said Hidetake Miyamoto of Nikkei media enterprise. “Through this exhibition you can see how the country grew and developed from the late 19th to the late 20th century. Also, there’s so much I discovered about Uzbekistan, its traditions and culture, thanks to Art Week.”

“Tokyo at 100” has toured 13 countries in Europe and the Middle East. This is the first time it has been held in the CIS, with St, Petersburg (Russia) being the next stop. The Japan Institute of Photography backed the idea of mounting two of the Fund Forum’s exhibitions – “Tashkent: Yesterday and Today” and “The Fund Forum Presents Uzbekistan” in Tokyo in March-April 2012 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Uzbekistan and Japan.