Hotel staff demonstrates “Lantern Dining Experience”, which enables diners to enjoy meals while protecting themselves against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at Hoshinoya Tokyo in Tokyo, Japan, February 2, 2022. The lantern-shaped transparent partitions are created by Japan’s traditional craftsman and guests staying at the hotel who pay 30,000 yen (about 260 USD) as venue charge can invite others to dine with them under the partitions. (Photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)

A model presents creations by Japanese designer Ayano Ichige from the Autumn/Winter 2022 collection for the label “NON TOKYO” during the Tokyo Fashion Week in Tokyo, Japan, 14 March 2022. The presentation of the Autumn/Winter 2022 collections runs from 14 to 19 March. (Photo by Franck Robichon/EPA/EFE)

Pedestrians using umbrellas struggle against rain and strong wind in Tokyo, Japan, 16 August 2024, as typhoon Ampil is approaching. The typhoon is approaching to Kanto Tokyo area and Japan's Meteorological Agency has issued heavy rain warning. The powerful typhoon forces to suspend JR Tokaido Shinkansen bullet train service operated by JR Central Japan Company all day between Tokyo and Nagoya, central Japan, and cancel over 600 flights. (Photo by Kimimasa Mayama/EPA/EFE)

A damaged traffic signal is pictured along a street at a residential area flooded by the Kinugawa river, caused by typhoon Etau in Joso, Ibaraki prefecture, Japan, September 11, 2015. Unprecedented rain in Japan unleashed heavy floods on Friday that tore houses from their foundations, uprooted trees and forced more than 100,000 people from their homes. (Photo by Issei Kato/Reuters)

The picturesque Zao Ski Resort, one of Japan's oldest and most popular ski destinations, is illuminated on February 10, 2007 in Yamagata Prefecture, Tohoku region of Honshu island, Japan. Coniferous trees such as the Aomori white fir lie covered with chrystallised ice and snow (described as “silver frost” or “snow monsters”) and attract visitors. (Photo by Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images)

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)