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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12/31/2026 (Thursday)

Unbeaten Tracks in Japan • Isabella L. Bird

In 1878, just 19 years after Japan opened it first ports to the world, and a mere ten years after the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate, an adventurous 47-year old woman from the UK set out to explore the interior of Japan. The country was virtually unknown to Westerners, and a woman traveling only with a guide seemed outrageous. Everybody advised her not to, but she went anyway and wrote this unique and vivid journal of what she saw and experienced.

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Tags: Kozaburo Tamamura • Meiji • Kobe • Customs • New Year
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Entertainment for the children was not forgotten during the New Year celebrations of the Meiji Period (1868-1912). While most of the other customs in this series are still observed, this scene seems to have vanished. This image is part of The New Year in Japan, a book published by Kobe-based photographer Kozaburo Tamamura in 1906. Original text:

Here is another attraction for the special entertainment of “Young” Japan; it is ridiculous to the adult eye, but we ourselves were young at one time!¹

See all New Year images on Old Photos of Japan.

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

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Photographer: Kozaburo Tamamura
Publisher: Kozaburo Tamamura
Medium: Collotype Print
Image Number: 80115-0038
Quote this number when you contact us about licensing this image

Thumbnail URL: http://oldphotosjapan.com/images/510t.jpg

Posted by Kjeld Duits • 2009-01-01

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