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)
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Reference for Citations
Duits, Kjeld (). Kobe, 1906: New Year Celebrations 3, OLD PHOTOS of JAPAN. Retrieved on July 12, 2026 (GMT) from https://www.oldphotosjapan.com/photos/680/new-year-celebrations-3
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