Kobe, 1906
New Year Celebrations 17
Another traditional New Year’s event that has almost completely disappeared, flying kites.
Kobe, 1906
Kobe, 1906
New Year Celebrations 18
A family enthusiastically plays karuta (かるた), a game still played during New Year today.
Kobe, 1906
New Year Celebrations 19
Losers in the card game of karuta get ink painted on their face.
Kobe, 1906
New Year Celebrations 20
Merchants display their wares in a New Year cart procession, one of the few New Year customs in this series that can not be seen anymore.
Kobe, 1906
New Year Celebrations 21
New Year resolutions clearly go back a ways. The children of this household start the new year with doing their chores, sewing, practicing music and practicing calligraphy.
Kobe, 1906
New Year Celebrations 22
Firefighters in happi coats perform acrobatic stunts on top of bamboo ladders. The ladder stunts were the main event of Japanese New Year celebrations.