Old Tokyo

“Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Founding of Keio Gijuku” postcard set, Keio University, Tokyo, 1907.

Old Tokyo — Mon, 28 Sep 2026 05:01:20 +0000

See also: Keio University library, Mita, Tokyo, c. 1920. Keio University vs. University of Chicago, 1915 The Keio-Gijuku 50th Anniversary of Its Foundation The Japan Times, April 12, 1907 “The Keio-gijuku, established in the 5th year of Ansei (1857), will celebrate the 50th anniversary of its foundation on the 21st [of this month]. “There […]

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“Grand Welcome Garden Party”, Koishikawa Korakuen Garden, Tokyo, 1906.

Old Tokyo — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 05:01:59 +0000

See also: Sumo wrestler Hitachiyama, c. 1910. “General Head-Quarters of the Manchurian Armies in Mukden”, 1906. The Grand Welcome Garden Party of 1906 was a high-profile victory celebration hosted in the spring of 1906 on the grounds of Koishikawa Korakuen Garden nearby Ochanomizu, Tokyo, by the Minister of War, General Terauchi Masatake, to honor returning […]

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Mitsukoshi Shinjuku grand opening, Shinjuku, Tokyo, 1930.

Old Tokyo — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 05:01:57 +0000

See also: Mitsukoshi Department Store, c. 1926-1960. Isetan Department Store, Shinjuku, c. 1935. Hoteiya department store, Shinjuku, Tokyo, 1929. Prior to constructing an 8-story department store on Shinjuku-dori, Mitsukoshi operated temporary market outposts in the area following the 1923 Great Kantō Earthquake (first at the Shinjuku Oiwake junction and later near the station). The grand […]

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“Commemorative Postcards of the Imperial Army Special Grand Maneuvers”, Kanto Plain, 1921.

Old Tokyo — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 05:01:21 +0000

See also: Special Military Exercises propaganda postcards, Kanto Plain, Tokyo, 1934. Army Air Defense Drill propaganda postcard set, c. 1930. Crown Prince Hirohito’s Tour of Europe, 1921. “Imperial Head-Quarters during the [First] China-Japan War”, Hiroshima, c. 1910. The 1921 Imperial Japanese Army Special Grand Maneuvers (Tokubetsu Dai-Enshū) were held in mid-November. The simulated defensive maneuvers […]

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Mid-Summer Greetings, Hata Trading Co., Nihonbashi, Tokyo, 1938.

Old Tokyo — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 05:01:19 +0000

See also: Meiji-brand “Cream Caramel” advertising postcard, c. 1935. “Bull-Dog Sauce” New Year’s advertising & propaganda postcard, 1938. Sending shuchū-mimai is a long-standing custom in Japan of wishing good health and to express appreciation to business partners and friends during the hot summer months. This particular postcard was sent by Hata Store, a Tokyo textile […]

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Hotel Hosenkaku, Kanda Nishikicho, Tokyo, c. 1925.

Old Tokyo — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 05:01:37 +0000

See also: 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake Imperial Capital Reconstruction Board (Teito Fukko-in) commemorative postcards, 1930. Hotel Hosenkaku was built in the wake of the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, constructed of reinforced concrete (advertised on the card with “post-earthquake construction”) as part of Tokyo’s post-earthquake rebuilding efforts. After the vast devastation of the 1923 Great […]

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JGR Tokaido Main Line night train and autumn moonlight, c. 1920.

Old Tokyo — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 05:01:27 +0000

“Seen at dusk as one gazes out upon the countryside from the window of a train, the lonely light of a bulb under an old-fashioned shade, shining dimly from behind the white paper shoji of a thatch-roofed farmhouse, can seem positively elegant.” – In Praise of Shadows, Tanizaki Jun’ichirō, 1933 See also J.G.R./J.N.R. Steam Locomotive […]

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Goni-Fair Exhibition Association promotional postcard, Mitsukoshi department store, Nihonbashi, Tokyo, 1906.

Old Tokyo — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 05:01:52 +0000

See also: “Imperial Princesses Making Bandages”, Russo-Japanese War, c. 1904. Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905). Mitsukoshi Gofukuten advertising postcards, c. 1905. The Goni-Fair (Gaisen Kinen Go-Ni Kyōshinkai) was a major trade, industrial, and cultural exhibition held in Tokyo from September to December 1906 (Meiji 39). Goni-Fair took the form of a kyōshinkai, a competitive exhibition. Artisans, manufacturers, […]

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Rocket launch commemorative postcard, 1968.

Old Tokyo — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 05:01:43 +0000

In the first half-decade of the 1960s, Japan’s emerging space program faced greater public scrutiny and investigations following a series of Lambda rocket failures. Testing was suspended for roughly 17 months so Japan’s new space agency — the Institute of Space and Aeronautical Science (ISAS) — could provide new engineering and safety protocols. The large […]

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“Celebration of a Bumper Catch”, Ikemajima, Miyako-gun, Okinawa, 1936.

Old Tokyo — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 05:01:17 +0000

See also: “A fishing place in Awaji”, Hyogo Prefecture, c. 1920. Dried octopus, Amakusa, Kumamoto Prefecture, c. 1960. Ikemajima fishermen are docked, their vessels decked out in celebratory flags including traditional Tairyō-bata [big catch flags]. The area was known as one of Japan’s most famous fishing grounds for skipjack tuna. Beached on the shore and […]

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