Old Photos of Japan rescues rare images of daily life in old Japan
Learn more about this project
supportsubscribe
80115-0027 - Japanese New Year Celebrations

Kobe, 1906
New Year Celebrations 3

Artist Teijiro Takagi
Publisher Teijiro Takagi
Medium Collotype Print
Period Meiji
Location Kobe
Image No. 80115-0027
Purchase Digital File
Author

Bamboo decorations herald the coming of the New Year.

This image is part of The New Year in Japan, a book published by Kobe-based photographer Kozaburo Tamamura in 1906. Original text1:

Bamboo poles are to be seen, erected on the eaves of various shops, to remind one of the Toshino-ichi (the New Year’s Fair), which is now in progress. The shops are also decorated in Christmas style, for the purpose of supplying foreign residents with all they may need for the festive Xmas season. The Japanese wives may be seen hurrying here and there to obtain geta, and many other items necessary for the family to bloom forth in fresh raiment on New Year’s Day.

See all New Year images on Old Photos of Japan.

Notes

1 Tamamura, Kozaburo (1906). The New Year in Japan. Tamamura Shashinkan.

2 Toshi-no-ichi (year-end-market)

Published
Updated

Leave a Comment

Reader Supported

Old Photos of Japan aims to be your personal museum for Japan's visual heritage and to bring the experiences of everyday life in old Japan to you.

To enhance our understanding of Japanese culture and society I track down, acquire, archive, and research images of everyday life, and give them context.

I share what I have found for free on this site, without ads or selling your data.

Your support helps me to continue doing so, and ensures that this exceptional visual heritage will not be lost and forgotten.

Thank you,
Kjeld Duits

support

Reference for Citations

Duits, Kjeld (). Kobe, 1906: New Year Celebrations 3, OLD PHOTOS of JAPAN. Retrieved on May 20, 2026 (GMT) from https://www.oldphotosjapan.com/photos/680/new-year-celebrations-3

Explore More

…

Hakone 1890s
Three Women in Bath

Two Japanese women are squatting next to a bath, while a third sits in the water.

…

Osaka 1935
The New Osaka • New Hotel for a New Era

When the New Osaka Hotel opened in 1935, it was one of Japan’s finest hotels. It even boasted air-conditioned guest rooms, a world’s first. This rare pamphlet from its early days offers a fascinating peek inside.

…

1890s
Welcoming a Guest

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.

Add Comment

There are currently no comments on this article.