Tokyo 2020 (+1) Pandemic Olympics

This is a documentary of Tokyo in the summer of 2021. This summer, Tokyo was filled with strange atmosphere. Amid the continuing surge of COVID-19 cases, the government decided to hold the Olympics, although more than 80% of Japanese people opposed. After making that decision, the government declared the 4th State of Emergency. This measure did little to get people to share a proper sense of emergency. No wonder. In the first place, Japanese "State of Emergency" is far from a stringent lockdown. The government just requests people to voluntarily stay home. Offices, shops, theaters, museums, nursing homes, restaurants and cafes are open, while they limit the number of customers, shorten business hours and take other measures by themselves. People were already tired of the repeated issuance of the declaration. In addition to this, the government’s decision to hold the Olympics caused further fear, anger, frustration and disbelief. There were many who were really concerned about further spread of infection. There were many who had to go to work to keep living. There were also many who thought, "The Olympics are held, then why can't we go out?” People's minds were and still are divided. As a photographer living in the middle of Tokyo, I felt it would be almost a sin not to document the peculiar state we were in. I started to take photographs on July 12, when the 4th state of emergency declaration was issued, and continued until August 8, when the Olympics ended.