After photographing smiles to find echoes in people's hearts in two cities with negative legacy - Kobe which experienced the Great Hanshin Earthquake and New York City one year after September the 11th - the Merry Project focused on Tokyo. The art director Koji Mizutani found that Tokyo is damaged as if by war-damage, by the protracted economic slump. "When I came back from abroad and walked around Tokyo, I found people lacking energy. The scenes of town seemed alright but the people there showed no expression. But once he pointed the camera at them, they drastically changed. "Recently young people actually are uniquely full of vitality. Talking with them, I realized that surprisingly many of them were quite social-minded, and I could feel their energy." An event was planned in Roppongi Hills. Using digital networks with various towns in Tokyo including Shibuya and Marunouchi, a visual installation using the newest tele-communications equipment was installed. The free Merry publication was distributed and the events included local street clean-ups. It might take a little longer for Tokyo to pick spirit. However, the 8,000 smiles and the handwritten messages Mizutani collected encouraged people and provided a breath of new life for Tokyo.
* "Merry in Tokyo" is collaborating with "GTF2003," another event to encourage Tokyo.