“There is something about luminosity that resonates with people. The glow of the lighthouse, the eternal flame. It could be a testimony for being alive or a symbol of hope.”

Ayako Kurosawa, for JAPAN Forward


Rainbow Bridge, with Tokyo Tower in the background. | © JAPAN Forward

Tokyo Tower stands beyond the glittering Rainbow Bridge. This typical night view of the capital would have been very different, had it not been for a person named Motoko Ishii.

“I want everyone to know about lighting design work, and I want them to realize how endlessly beautiful illumination is,” said Ishii, “I worked hard at every single job, and half a century passed in no time.”

Motoko Ishii’s new book on illumination. | © JAPAN Forward

A compilation of her work, MOTOKO∞LIGHTOPIA Motoko Ishii’s Trail of Light (Kyuryudo publishers, October 2020, in Japanese), carefully selects 150 of her projects out of more than 1,600 works and introduces them with beautiful photographs. With the year 2000 as a turning point, the show uniquely delves into what she has done before and after that marker.


By - grape Japan editorial staff.