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)

Women dressed in kimonos pose for a selfie photograph at a deserted torii path Fushimi Inari Taish shrine on January 18, 2021 in Kyoto, Japan. Kyoto, along with a Osaka and several other prefectures, was brought under a state of emergency last week by the Japanese government as they grapple to contain the third, and most virulent, wave of Covd-19 coronavirus to hit the country. (Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images)

Macaques huddle together for warmth at a hot spring in Nagano, Japan in the last decade of December 2023. Known as snow monkeys, the animals soak in the 40°C water every day during cold weather, spending their bathtime grooming, snoozing and playing on visitors’ camera tripods. (Photo by David Lazar/Animal News Agency)

Kimono-clad Japanese young women stand in a train after attending a Coming of Age Day ceremony at Yokohama Arena, in Yokohama, Japan, 13 January 2025. Thousands of participants attended the ceremony of the Coming of Age Day in Yokohama, the day celebrating all those who reached 20 years of age, which is considered adulthood in Japan. (Photo by Franck Robichon/EPA/EFE)

A diver in a pool at the Army 2021 International Military and Technical Forum, at the Patriot military park in Moscow Region, Russia on August 22, 2021. (Photo by Sergei Karpukhin/TASS/Alamy Live News)

A Nepalese boy gets ready to perform a stick dance during a rally held to pay tribute to the victims of an earthquake, in Bhaktapur, Nepal, Wednesday, September 2, 2015. Two powerful earthquakes in April and May devastated the Himalayan nation killing more than 8,800 people. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)

A sommelier serves the glass with 2021 Beaujolais Nouveau wine of a young woman bathing in a red colored hot water bath, on the day of the Beaujolais Nouveau official release, at Hakone Kowakien Yunessun hot spring resort in Hakone, Japan, 18 November 2021. Japan is a major market for the Beaujolais Nouveau. However, the country's total Beaujolais Nouveau imports are expected to fall by 20 per cent from 2019 to around 3,6 million bottles, amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Franck Robichon/EPA/EFE)

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)