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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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
Reference for Citations
Duits, Kjeld (). Kyoto 1934: Furniture Store, OLD PHOTOS of JAPAN. Retrieved on March 15, 2026 (GMT) from https://www.oldphotosjapan.com/photos/456/furniture-store
tokyodusk
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.
#000410 ·
Kjeld Duits (Author)
Great find! I had completely ignored that sign… Looks like it was quite large, indeed.
#000412 ·
tokyo2la
But doesn’t the sign say “Kawagoe Tansu”?
#000437 ·
Kjeld Duits (Author)
@tokyo2la: There are kanji above the “Kawagoe Tansu” sign. The ones in the windows. They advertise the “Shinko Chuo Mahjong” parlor.
#000438 ·
Chris
Hmm, the description lists this as Kyoto… but the sign clearly says Kawagoe, which is in Saitama north of Tokyo? I suppose it could just be a name.
#000449 ·
Kjeld Duits (Author)
@Chris: Good point. I have assumed it is just a name. The name of the location was printed on the slide itself, together with the date the photo was taken. Considering the original source (New York State Education Department), I consider it highly reliable.
#000450 ·