Local residents crowd a swimming pool during a hot weather in Suining, Sichuan province, 27 July 2008. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)

A man prays to mourn victims of the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami in front of a ship brought ashore by the disaster in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. (Photo by Kyodo via Reuters)

These timeless postcards offer an eye-opening glimpse into life in Japan in the early 20th century. Taken from hand-colored photographs, the postcards showcase the still beauty of the country, depicting a nation on the cusp of modernization. The images feature solemn fishermen, bustling streets, temples and shrines: a country yet to be influenced by Western culture. The tinting effect brings out the rich colors of the natural surroundings, with trees, flowers and cherry blossoms jumping from the original black-and-white images. Here: Toyokuni Shrine Nakanoshima, Osaka, Japan. (Photo by New York Public Library/Caters News)

Women walk in the strong winds from Typhoon Guchol in Nagoya, Japan on June 19, 2012. The storm lashed southwestern Japan with strong winds and heavy rain as it moved toward the center of the country, forcing airlines and train operators to cancel services amid warnings of flooding and landslides. (Photo by Kyodo News)

A potential bidder carefully examines pieces of Tuna in order to ascertain the quality and to estimate its price ahead of the Tuna auction at the Tsukiji fish market on February 28, 2012 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Daniel Berehulak /Getty Images)

AKB48 perform during the MTV Video Music Aid Japan at Makuhari Messe on June 25, 2011 in Chiba, Japan. (Photo by Koki Nagahama/Getty Images)

A quake-resistant dome house decorated with Japan's popular “Kumamon” bear character is pictured at the Aso Farm Land resort in Aso, Japan on November 6, 2017. Cabins modelled after Japanese sweets and made from polystyrene foam withstood last year's deadly earthquakes in Kumamoto prefecture. (Photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)