1930s
Pet Bird Shop
This postcards shows a delightful scene of a shop selling pet birds. Birds used to be extremely popular as pets in Japan.
1930s
Yokohama, 1890s
Dezome-shiki
Firefighters in happi coats perform acrobatic stunts on top of bamboo ladders. The ladder stunts were the main event of Japanese New Year celebrations. The demonstrations, called dezome-shiki, were intended to warn people of the dangers of fire, and to demonstrate the agility and courage of the firefighters.
Tokyo, 1920s
Dezome-shiki
Firefighters in happi coats perform acrobatic stunts on top of bamboo ladders. The ladder stunts were the main event of Japanese New Year celebrations.
Yokohama, 1900s
Dezome-shiki
Firefighters in happi coats perform acrobatic stunts on top of bamboo ladders. The ladder stunts were the main event of Japanese New Year celebrations.
Kobe, 1906
New Year Celebrations 1
A family cleans the home in advance of the New Year celebrations. Cleaning is a major part of preparing for the New Year as Shinto beliefs place much importance on purity.
Kobe, 1906
New Year Celebrations 2
Pounding glutinous rice to make mochi rice cakes, used in the traditional New Year dishes.