OLD PHOTOS of JAPAN, a photo blog of Japan in the Meiji, Taisho and Showa periods

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shows photos of Japan between the 1860s and 1930s. In 1854, Japan opened its doors to the outside world for the first time in more than 200 years. It set in motion a truly astounding transformation. As fate would have it, photography had just been invented. As the old country vanished and a new one was born, daring photographers took photos. Discover what life was like with their rare and precious photographs of old Japan.

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05/29/2008 (Thursday) Telephone Operators

Osaka 1880s • View on Tennoji

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Panoramic View on Osaka

An extremely rare panoramic view of the area around Shitennoji Buddhist temple in Osaka. The five-storied pagoda of Shitennoji can be seen on the far left. It is interesting to notice how it functioned as an important landmark. These days the temple is virtually invisible because of the surrounding high-rises. Difficult to imagine, but the rural area in the front is now the electronic and pop culture center Den Den Town in Nipponbashi.

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1890s • Threshing Rice

Farmer's Couple Clearing Rice (Photo by Kozaburo Tamamura)

A woman is threshing rice stalks with a Senbakoki (千歯扱き, threshing machine), while a man is carrying straw bags balanced on a pole. In the back drying rice plants can be seen, it was customary to dry freshly cut rice plants before threshing commenced.

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1890s • Welcoming a Guest

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Customer Arriving at Ryokan

Personnel welcomes an arriving customer at a Ryokan (Japanese inn) by sitting on the floor and bowing deeply. A scene that can still be seen in Ryokan all over Japan today.

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