Old Tokyo

Under the current Hepburn system of romanization, "si" becomes "shi". Prior to the war, the government used the Kunrei-shiki romanization system. Ergo, in 1939 the boat would've been christened "Siretoko" which, ironically, had the same exact pronunciation as Hepburn's "Shiretoko".

“Hotels seen on side of fine stream”, Kinugawa Onsen District, Nikko, c. 1930. | Old Tokyo See also: Kanaya Hotel, Nikko, c. 1920. “Three Monkeys carving at Iyeyasu Temple”, Nikko, c. 1920. Nikko, Japan, c. 1910. The Kinugawa Onsen area itself has a storied past. Discovered over 300 years a...

Discovered over 300 years ago, access to these hot springs were initially exclusive to monks and daimyo samurai. The springs became accessible to the general public during the Meiji period (1868-1912).

Mitsubishi Ki-1 “Army Type 93” Heavy Bomber, c. 1935. | Old Tokyo See also: Mitsubishi Ki-2-I & Ki-2-II “Army Type 93” Light Bomber, c. 1935. I.J.A. Mitsubishi Ki-21 Type 97 (“Sally”) Heavy Bomber, ca. 1938. The Mitsubishi Ki-1, also known as Mitsubishi Army Type 93...

Mitsubishi Ki-1 “Army Type 93” Heavy Bomber, c. 1935, in formation over the Great Wall of China. Already obsolete by when introduced in 1932, it did find use during counterinsurgency operations of the Pacification of Manchukuo, as well as limited use during the Second Sino-Japanese War.

O-hanami gathering of a “chindonya” troupe at Asukayama, Tokyo, c. 1910. | Old Tokyo "Brilliant is the career of the cherry-bloom, glorious is the life it pursues. But more brilliant and more glorious is the end it faces. "For the bloom tarries not till its beauty fades, its fame depa...

Chindonya were elaborately-costumed street musicians and touts who advertised for shops, restaurants, and other establishments, seen here taking a break from the rigors of street performances by celebrating the season’s hanami picnic-style under the blossoms of Asukayama. Tokyo.

Outside a small bar in a tourist district. A Japanese flag, a menu, a shoji lantern, a cup noodle (I think), and a sign that says English Ok with a smiley face but with fine print on the bottom that says *but not spoken perfectly.

Little bar in Asakusa,
your sign made me smile.

“Year of the Sheep” (or “Goat”), New Year’s advertising postcards, 1931. | Old Tokyo Above: Front and reverse of a family's small business 1931 New Year's advertising postcard. On the reverse side, it reads: "On the occasion of a happy New Year, I congratulate you and your family on y...

“Year of the Goat (Sheep)”, New Years advertising postcard, Kyoto, c. 1931.

Domo arigatou for adding Old Tokyo to your resources list!

Nikko Motor Bus Co. tour of Nikko, c. 1940. | Old Tokyo "For a weekend to remember, and one lavish with gorgeous scenery, take the journey from Tokyo to Nikko and Lake Chuzenji. "Nikko is one of the two most noted shrine and temple cities in Japan, and sho...

Nikko Motor Bus, Nikko, c. 1940. Two modified 1937 Japanese-manufactured Chevrolet “open buses” negotiate the sharp, hairpin turns of the Iroha-zaka, connecting Nikko with Lake Chuzenji. The drive between Nikko and Chuzenji, consisting of 32 hairpin curves in 1940, added a memorable thrill.

Cherry Blossoms at Mukojima, c. 1910. | Old Tokyo See also: O-hanami (Cherry Blossoms Viewing). Yaomatsu Restaurant, Mukojima, c. 1910. Koganei Cherry Blossoms, c. 1910. "There is a river with arched bridges, and along the bank a road bordered on eit...

Cherry Blossoms at Mukojima, c. 1910, across the Sumida River from Asakusa. Excursion boats tie up, bringing crowds of visitors each spring to Mukojima’s famous cherry trees during o-hanami. (Tap for a gallery.) #skytorians #cherryblossoms #mukojima #tokyo

“Shooting the Hozu rapids” on the Hozu River, Kyoto, c. 1920. | Old Tokyo See also: “The Hodzu Rapids”, Kyoto, c. 1910. Fishing at Hozu River, Kyoto, c. 1910. The Hozugawa River was originally employed to transport logs that were used to build many of Kyoto and Osaka's famo...

A ride down the Hozu River, Kyoto, c. 1920. Back-caption: “Among the numerous tourist attractions of Kyoto and its environs is what is known as ‘shooting the Hozu rapids’." After logging transport moved overland, a stretch of the Hozugawa evolved into a popular tourist attraction.

Thank you, Anthony.

Some close friends and mentors helped me with the @pacificguide.bsky.social project, but there’s a few more who inspired and guided me, even if they didn’t know it. Shoutout to @axe99.bsky.social @oldtokyo.bsky.social @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social and @hush-ndb.bsky.social I truly appreciate you! 🙇‍♂️

I.J.N. Mitsubishi G4M (“Betty”) Medium Bomber propaganda postcard, c. 1943. | Old Tokyo See also: Sinking the HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse propaganda postcard, 1941. I.J.A. Mitsubishi Ki-21 Type 97 (“Sally”) Heavy Bomber, ca. 1938. Mitsubishi A6M2 “Zero”, c. 1940. Mitsubishi G1M1,...

“A riveting new Japanese naval attack aircraft just before its departure for South Pacific Base 00”, I.J.N. Mitsubishi G4M (“Betty”) medium bomber propaganda postcard, 1943. The G4M became the most widely produced and most famous bomber operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy.

Yedogawa, Tokyo, c. 1910. | Old Tokyo "The Edogawa, a canal in the Koshikawa quarter, near the arsenal, is a mile of double blossoms doubled in beauty by reflection, and boats up and down this lane of flowers as the most beautiful of all ...

“The Edogawa, a canal in the Koshikawa quarter is a mile of double blossoms doubled in beauty by reflection, and boats up and down this lane of flowers as the most beautiful of all cherry-blossom effects.” - The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine, Vol. 79, 1910

Links to gallery

“Pleasant promenade buses and clear guided tours”, Tokyo, c. 1940. | Old Tokyo See also: Tokyo Motorbus Co. “Yellow Bus”, c. 1940. Tokyo Sightseeing Bus Co. advertising postcards, Tokyo, c. 1930. "Beginning on June 17, 1926, Tokyo Motorbus offered half-day tours on set routes to...

“Pleasant promenade buses and clear guided tours”, Tokyo Motorbus Co., Tokyo, c. 1940. “Thank you for waiting. I will be accompanying you on your excursion today. We will be leaving shortly.” Tokyo Motorbus Co, first began offering guided tours of Tokyo in 1926. [Click link for gallery]

Take it from a Minnesotan: Use "ya" instead of "yes" and drop in the occasional "You betcha", and you should be good, dontcha know. <grin>

“Scenic views of Manchuria” postcard series, c. 1935. | Old Tokyo See also: Yamato Hotel, Hoshigaura (Star Beach), Dairen, Manchuria, c. 1920. Great Manchurian Exhibition, Dairen, Manchukuo, 1933. The “Asia Express”, Shougaku Sannensei Manga advertising postcard, Ma...

Hsinking West Park and (inset) Chengzhong Monument, Hsinking. “Scenic views of Manchuria” postcard series, c. 1935. The capital of Manchukuo was established by the Japanese in 1932 at Hsinking [‘new capital’] and turned into a grandiose ‘model city’ of urban development.

Akechidaira Aerial Rope-way and Nikko Tramway, Nikko, c. 1940. | Old Tokyo See also: Aerial cable car, Taisho Exhibition, Ueno Park, Tokyo, 1914. Nikko Motor Bus Co. tour of Nikko, c. 1940. Iroha-zaka, Nikko. "The Akechidaira Ropeway was is aerial lift line operated by Nikko...

Akechitaira aerial ropeway, Nikko, c. 1940. The “Akechidaira Ropeway” was operated by the Nikko Tozan Railway and opened in 1933, twenty years after the funicular Nikko Tramway Line (aka “Nikko Steel Cable Railway Line”) first connected Nikko City with Umagaeshi Station.

Ushigome Methodist Church, Ushigome, Tokyo, c. 1905. | Old Tokyo See also: Methodist Church of Japan Cathedral, c. 1920. Ginza Methodist Church, Sukiyabashi, c. 1915. “Sendai Christian Orphanage, Girls’ Cottages”, Sendai, c. 1910. Ushigome Methodist Church was esta...

Ushigome Methodist Church, Ushigome, Shinjuku, Tokyo, c. 1905. The original church (right) was founded in 1881 by the Methodist Episcopal Church of Canada, and likely played a role in promoting literacy, education, and Western learning in the northwestern wards of Tokyo City through the 1930s.

“Life in the Army” series, IJAAS parade field fly-over, c. 1914. | Old Tokyo See also: First Airplane Flight in Japan, Yoyogi Parade Ground, Tokyo, 1910. Nieuport IV at Tokorozawa Airfield, c. 1913. “Life in the Navy” postcard series, c. 1930. "When the Imperial Japanese Army ...

“Life in the Army” series, Imperial Japanese Army Air Service (IJAAS) parade field fly-over, c. 1914, by a flight of four Farman MF.7 biplanes and one Nieuport VI-M — the total IJAAS air force at the time, stationed at Japan’s sole air military field, Tokorozawa Airfield, northwest of Tokyo.

Shiba Park, Tokyo. | Old Tokyo See also: Tokyo First Bazaar Co., Shiba Park, c. 1910 2nd Tokugawa Shogun Temple, Shiba Park, c. 1910 Shiba Park in the Snow, c. 1910 Zōjyō-ji Temple, Shiba Park, Tokyo, c. 1910. "Shiba Park [is] a la...

"No well-advised visitor to Tokyo will fail to make a pilgrimage to this enchanting spot [Shiba Park] when the lotuses are in bloom, nor yet in early April when the cherry blooms so idealize the park that the beauty-loving Japanese seemed seized with a flower madness ..." – T. Philip Terry, 1914

Children playing under cherry blossoms, c. 1960. | Old Tokyo See also: O-hanami (Cherry Blossoms Viewing). Cherry Blossoms at Mukojima, c. 1910. "What the rose is to the people of America, the cherry blossom is to the Land of the Rising Sun, and the time of the...

“What the rose is to the people of America, the cherry blossom is to the Land of the Rising Sun, and the time of their blossoming is made a season of national festival." - Japan, the Place and the People, by George Waldo Browne, 1901

Kagaya Tourist Hotel, Wakura Onsen, Ishikawa Prefecture, c. 1930. | Old Tokyo See also: Yoshinoya Ryokan, Kaga Yamanaka Onsen, Ishikawa Prefecture, c. 1930. Kamikochi Imperial Hotel, Matsumoto, c. 1940. "The Kagaya Tourist Hotel in Wakura Onsen, Ishikawa Prefecture, is a famous...

Kagaya Tourist Hotel, Wakura Onsen, Ishikawa Prefecture, c. 1930. Kagaya has long ranked as one of Japan’s top ryokans, frequently receiving awards for excellence in service and hospitality, with it reputation extending overseas, attracting visitors from all around the world.

A taxi driver sat waiting for the traffic lights at Tokyo’s famous Shibuya Crossing. It’s night and the blue hues of the a cool white balance on the camera contrast with the reds of the sign in his cab that says he’s taking fares. And the reds of reflected neon signs above.

In between meetings and flicking through the photos on my phone. This one, from 2010, was made in Shibuya during my shooting of a feature on Tokyo’s taxis. Which was printed in a few magazines at the time. Such a fascinating subject, combing a few things I love: cars, people & this city at night.

So, mishin is a borrowed word? I would imagine its use predates Singer? "Machines" played a vital role in the Meiji Modernization from 1868 onward.

Singer Sewing Machine Co. advertising postcard, c. 1920. | Old Tokyo See also: Kodak Verichrome Film & “Vest Pocket” Camera, Japan, c. 1932. Maiko with “Nipponophone”, c. 1910. "When the Singer Sewing Machine Company entered the Japanese market in earnest in 1900, it b...

Singer Sewing Machine Co. headquarters, New York City., c. 1920. Advertising postcard for シンガー 裁 縫 機 裁 [“Singer Stitching Loom Machine”]. When Singer set up in Japan, it made little adjustment to its selling system ... By the 1910s, Singer had more than 80 percent of the Japanese household market.

Nippon Flour Milling Co., Yokohama, c. 1930. | Old Tokyo "Japan first embarked upon the flour-milling industry in those years of Meiji during which she began to enter into closer communication with foreign countries with the establishment in 1873 of Sapporo...

Nippon Flour Milling Co., Yokohama, c. 1930. Japan first flour-mill, Sapporo Flour Mills in Hokkaido, would merge with Tokyo-based Nippon Seifun K.K. [Nippon Flour Milling Co.] to establish Japan's first modern mechanical flour milling companycin 1896. #skystorians #yokohama #japan

Shimonoseki Station, Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, c. 1910. | Old Tokyo See also: Tokaido Main Line Railway, c. 1930. "One of the most lasting examples of the integration of railways into the daily fabric of Japanese life [in the early 1900s] is 'The Railway Song' (Tetsud...

Shimonoseki Station, Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, c. 1910. Shimonoseki Station opened on May 27, 1901 as Bakan Station on the San’yō Railway, adjacent to the Shimonoseki-Moji Railway Ferry. The station name was changed to Shimonoseki Station with the change in city name June 1, 1902.

Ito Shiori's Next Goal: Releasing BLACK BOX DIARIES in Japan - Unseen Japan It's the first documentary by a Japanese director ever nominated for an Oscar - but it still hasn't screened in Japan.

Ito Shiori's documentary BLACK BOX DIARIES made history as the first documentary nominated for an Oscar by a Japanese director. The journalist and activist say she has a new goal: getting her acclaimed film to screen in Japan, where it's still in release limbo.

buff.ly/aobUGH7

#Japan

Hinamatsuri Doll Festival (Girl’s Day), c. 1940. | Old Tokyo "There is no festival given in Japan that brings more joy to the hearts of little Japanese girls than the Girls' Doll Festival, Hinamatsuri, for this time their very own. "The festival is celebrated e...

Girl’s Day (March 3) doll display, c. 1920. Inset is of a Boy’s Day (May 5) doll on display. "There is no festival given in Japan that brings more joy to the hearts of little Japanese girls than the Girls’ Doll Festival, Hinamatsuri, for this time their very own." Japan Travel Magazine, Feb. 1930.