Photographs of Occupied Japan (1948-1951)

Meiji and Taisho Eras in Photographs

Fudo Temple at Meguro, Tokyo

Old Photographs of the Bakumatsu-Meiji Periods

Taken by Beato. Entitled “Japanese doctor, Azuma Ian and patient “. A bald doctor wearing a kimono with the family emblem and a sword takes the pulse of a young woman patient. A kettle sits on a brazier in the background, but this may be the residence of the doctor.

“Japanese Old Photographs of the Bakumatsu-Meiji Periods” at the University of Nagasaki Library is the largest collection of old photographs, approximately 6,000, taken all over Japan from the Bakumatsu through to the Meiji period.

Photographs of Japanese Mountains

Sunrise over Fuji and Kofu City

Yubari: Ghost Town

Featuring the haunting photographs of Shinichi Ito, our Asia bureau chief, Fiona Wilson, reports from Yubari, the Japanese coal city that lost 90 per cent of its residents after its mines closed and the city councilors went on a disastrous spending spree.

Yakushima Forests

Yakushima (屋久島, Yakushima) is an island of about 500 km² and roughly 15,000 islanders to the south of Kyūshū in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Yakushima’s unique remnant of a warm-temperate ancient forest is a natural World Heritage Site since 1993. The “pristine” Yakusugi Forest is visited by 300,000 tourists every year. It is said to have inspired the forest setting in Hayao Miyazaki’s film Princess Mononoke. (Wiki)

Japanese Style Gardens

Sam Clemens/Getty images. Kinkaku-ji, or the Golden Pavilion, is modeled after an impressive two-story building that was part of one of the oldest surviving Paradise gardens in Japan, Saiho-ji.

Simple yet stunning, Japanese gardens come in several varieties. Many people are familiar with the so-called Zen gardens (more accurately called Japanese rock gardens), but less so with other Japanese garden styles. This is unfortunate because Japanese gardens try to inspire serenity and introspection by incorporating symbolic and natural elements. In this article, you’ll learn about five styles of Japanese gardens that may help you achieve a little more inner peace.

Ushiku Daibutsu: One of the Tallest Statues

The Ushiku Daibutsu (牛久大仏, Ushiku Daibutsu), located in Ushiku, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, is one of the world’s tallest statues. Completed in 1995, it stands a total of 120 meters (394 feet) tall, including the 10m high base and 10m high lotus platform. An elevator takes visitors up to 85m off the ground, where an observation floor is located. It depicts Amitabha Buddha and is plated with bronze.

Japanese Autumn Landscape Photos

I mentioned some Japanese Autumn photos before, and found some more photographs on japan-guide.com recently that feature beautiful landscapes of Japan.

Abandoned Mining Town: Doctor’s Office

Situated a good 3 hour drive from western Tokyo, Saitama Prefecture’s Nitchitsu mining town housed around 3,000 people at its peak in 1965, but now, any life is long gone, and the mountain’s iron and zinc remains unmoved. (Tokyo Times)

Japanese Autumn Photographs

Red leaves in Enrian, Kyoto by h@ru

Meido Bikers

Scary…