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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Art And Artifice: Japanese Photographs Of The Meiji Era • Sebastian Dobson, Anne Nishimura Morse, Frederic Sharf
Art And Artifice

A brief introduction to Meiji-era photographs and to the world in which they flourished. Three essays and dozens of images explore the social function of these photos, their remarkable artistry, and the personal stories of those who collected and preserved these images.


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Tokaido 1930 • Car on the Tokaido

Tags: Unknown • Showa • Tokaido • •
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Japan, Tokaido Highway about 30 Miles from Yokohama (1930).

A single car on a modernized Tokaido, the main connection between Edo (current Tokyo) and Kyoto during the Edo Period. This photo was shot in 1930, some 48 kilometers (30 miles) from Yokohama. The Tokaido’s famous scenes of countless travelers on foot soon vanished after the first railroad connection between Tokyo and Kobe was completed in the late 1880s. Although the first cars were produced in Japan during the early 1900s, and this image shows a car on the Tokaido, the condition of most roads was so bad that cars didn’t really take off in Japan until after WWII.

This glass slide is one of a series of slides of Japan that was used by the New York State Education Department to teach students about Japan.

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Photographer: Unknown
Publisher: New York State Education Department
Medium: Glass Slide
Image Number: 80122-0003
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<a href="http://oldphotosjapan.com/en/photos/446/car-on-the-tokaido">Tokaido 1930 • Car on the Tokaido</a>

A single car on a modernized Tokaido, the main connection between Edo (current Tokyo) and Kyoto during the Edo Period. This photo was shot in 1930, some 48 kilometers (30 miles) from Yokohama. The Tokaido’s famous scenes of countless travelers on foot soon vanished after the first railroad connection between Tokyo and Kobe was completed in the late 1880s. Although the first cars were produced in Japan during the early 1900s, and this image shows a car on the Tokaido, the condition of most roads was so bad that cars didn’t really take off in Japan until after WWII.

Thumbnail URL: http://oldphotosjapan.com/images/221t.jpg
Posted by Kjeld Duits • 2008-10-25
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