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

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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Kyoto 1934 • Furniture Store

Furniture Store in Kyoto, Japan (May 1934).

A furniture store in Kyoto in May 1934. Notice the tricycles and prams. Both are articles that you would not expect at a furniture store. The classical street lamp is a wonderful work of art. Another interesting aspect are the many chairs on display. Western influences have clearly already deeply penetrated the Japanese lifestyle in the early 1930s, only some 80 years after Commodore Perry forced Japan to open up to the world in July, 1853.

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. The New York State Education Department collected photographs of life in a large number of countries and the collection ran into many thousands. These slides were loaned to schools throughout New York State from 1856 to 1939. They were one of the earliest uses of audio-visual techniques for classroom instruction.

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Photographer: Unknown
Publisher: New York State Education Department
Medium: Glass Slide
Image Number: 80122-0015
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<a href="http://oldphotosjapan.com/en/photos/456/furniture-store">Kyoto 1934 • Furniture Store</a>

A furniture store in Kyoto in May 1934. Notice the tricycles and prams. Both are articles that you would not expect at a furniture store. The classical street lamp is a wonderful work of art. Another interesting aspect are the many chairs on display. Western influences have clearly already deeply penetrated the Japanese lifestyle in the early 1930s, only some 80 years after Commodore Perry forced Japan to open up to the world in July, 1853.

Thumbnail URL: http://oldphotosjapan.com/images/231t.jpg

Posted by Kjeld Duits • 2009-07-05

« Ginza and Kyobashi • Geisha Houses, Shinbashi »

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Interesting photo. The large sign above the furniture shop says (in the old right-to-left style) “Shinko Chuo Mahjongg”. Presumably that is a large mahjongg parlor located above the furniture store? Probably is if the 3 characters on the sign at the entrance on the right of the photo are related.

# tokyodusk · 2009-07-11

Great find! I had completely ignored that sign… Looks like it was quite large, indeed.

# Kjeld Duits · 2009-07-15

But doesn’t the sign say “Kawagoe Tansu”?

# tokyo2la · 2010-02-08

@tokyo2la: There are kanji above the “Kawagoe Tansu” sign. The ones in the windows. They advertise the “Shinko Chuo Mahjong” parlor.

# Kjeld Duits · 2010-02-08