Ainu means human. The Ainu people regard things useful to them or beyond their control as kamuy (gods). In daily life, they prayed to and performed various ceremonies for the gods. These gods include: “nature” gods, such as of fire, water, wind and thunder; “animal” gods, such as of bears, foxes, spotted owls and gram-puses;Continue reading “37 Vintage Portraits of Ainu Women From Northern Japan With Their Traditional Tattooed Lips during the 1900s”
Tag Archives: Japan
36 Portraits of Gangs of Kabukicho, Tokyo in the 1960s and 1970s
Kabukicho is an entertainment and red-light district situated in the busy Tokyo area of Shinjuku. At night the streets are buzzing with neon lights, as the host and hostess bars and clubs come to life. Meanwhile, in the criminal underworld, around a thousand gangsters (Yakuza) are said to operate in the area, giving this spotContinue reading “36 Portraits of Gangs of Kabukicho, Tokyo in the 1960s and 1970s”
The Story Behind the Photo of 10-Year-Old Japanese Boy Carries His Deceased Brother to a Cremation Pyre, 1945
This heart rending photo was taken by Joe O’Donnell, who was sent by the U.S. military to document the horrors inflicted upon the Japanese by air raids and atomic bombs in 1945. In this photo, the little boy had bought his brother to a cremation spot. He was barefooted and in perhaps trying to playContinue reading “The Story Behind the Photo of 10-Year-Old Japanese Boy Carries His Deceased Brother to a Cremation Pyre, 1945”
How the Original Selfie Stick Was Invented in the 1980s
Before the word “selfie” was even coined, let alone in the dictionary. The first selfie stick was neither as elegant nor as successful as the latest models. The original patent was filed all the way back in 1983, before cell phones were ubiquitous. The first selfie stick was invented by Hiroshi Ueda, at the timeContinue reading “How the Original Selfie Stick Was Invented in the 1980s”
“The Forgotten Holocaust”: 27 Tragic Photos From The Rape Of Nanking
Left: A Chinese woman is tied to a pole and forcibly kissed by a Japanese soldier. Right: Elsewhere, a man is left blindfolded and tied up. Both images were taken during the Rape of Nanking. “The Forgotten Holocaust”: 27 Tragic Photos From The Rape Of Nanking These tragic photos and stories that capture the horrorsContinue reading ““The Forgotten Holocaust”: 27 Tragic Photos From The Rape Of Nanking”
KAMIKAZE
“There was a hypnotic fascination to the sight so alien to our Western philosophy. We watched each plunging kamikaze with the detached horror of one witnessing a terrible spectacle rather than as the intended victim. We forgot self for the moment as we groped hopelessly for the thought of that other man up there.” ViceContinue reading “KAMIKAZE”
Amazing Photographs Showing Life in Japan during the Late 1940s
After Japan’s surrender in World War II, the country rapidly changed from an imperial nation under an emperor, to a democratic and demilitarized state. Much of Japan lay in ruins after the war, devastated by air raids and the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Yet the country’s economy grew so fast that by 1964,Continue reading “Amazing Photographs Showing Life in Japan during the Late 1940s”
33 Amazing Photos Of The Firebombing Of Tokyo In 1945
The firebombing of Tokyo in March 1945 — called Operation Meetinghouse by the Americans — would become the deadliest air raid in human history. Early in the morning on March 10, 1945, terrified residents of Japan’s capital awoke to an inescapable inferno. By the time the sun rose, 100,000 people would be dead, tens ofContinue reading “33 Amazing Photos Of The Firebombing Of Tokyo In 1945”
30 Breathtakingly Colorized Photos Show the Horror of the War in the Pacific During World War II
Stunning photos of the US Army during the War in the Pacific have been brought to life through vivid colorization. The breathtaking images capture the perils of war, from men being stretchered away to hospital to soldiers fighting at Okinawa. From December 1941 to September 1945, war raged on across Asia and the Pacific. TheContinue reading “30 Breathtakingly Colorized Photos Show the Horror of the War in the Pacific During World War II”
