If one were to sequence the genome of the MetroHAWAIêI project, the impetus behind Stan Tomita's photographic work would make up a significant portion of it. Working in 1970s Chinatown, when hip bars, boutiques, art galleries and visitor industry destinations were not a part of its social or architectural fabric, Tomita produced nothing less than a body of priceless historical documents. Still water in a pothole, filled with rain or the runoff from a restaurant and slicked with oil, alludes to stories that are entirely different from those of photojournalism. The same can be said of the images of local life in pool halls, bars, and improvised slaughterhouses that give us a deeper appreciation for how old the flows of commerce and culture that move through Chinatown really are.