If You Wondered What Japan Looked Like In The 1800s, Here Are 40 Photos From That Time

Located in East Asia, Japan is an island country comprised of four main islands—Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku—and thousands of smaller ones. The whole territory of the archipelago nation adds up to roughly 145,869 square miles, or 377,800 square kilometers, and houses more than 123,200,000 people.

According to the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE), in Japan, “no one lives further than seventy miles from the coast, so Japanese are oriented to the sea, even though their land is mountainous.” Mountains—some of which are volcanic—reportedly occupy more than 80% of the country’s landmass.

One of the most iconic sights in the country, Mt. Fuji, is just one of the many volcanoes in the area. According to information provided by National Parks of Japan, there are at least 111 active volcanoes in Japan, which is part of the Ring of Fire—“a 40,000-kilometer horseshoe-shaped chain of volcanic activity.”

“Home” to three-quarters of the earth’s volcanoes, the Ring of Fire stretches from New Zealand to Japan, going through the Bering Sea, along the west coast of the United States all the way to South America.

Standing tall at 12,389 feet 3 inches, or 3,776 meters, Mount Fuji is the highest—and possibly the most famous—volcano in the country. Its volcanic activity reportedly began roughly 100,000 years ago, though the last time it erupted was not that long ago, in 1707.

For the Japanese people, Mt. Fuji is more than just a volcano, though. According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, it is also an object of worship, a pilgrimage site, and a cultural icon, not to mention a global attraction.

As noted by the Japan National Tourism Organization, Mt. Fuji’s most iconic images date back to the Edo period, which ended in the 19th century—the period in which the pictures on this list were taken.

Lasting from 1603 until 1868, it was a time when Japan was ruled by the Tokugawa family, which was named after the city of Edo (modern-day Tokyo), where the Tokugawa Shogunate government was located.

Covering Japan in the 19th century, the Metropolitan Museum of Art pointed out that the period marked a significant change in the country’s history. It was the time of “a dramatic shift from the conservative, isolationist policies of the shōgun-dominated Edo period to the rapid and widespread drive to modernize and engage with the rest of the world that characterizes the Meiji Restoration.”

The Met noted that in the name of Emperor Meiji, striking and far-reaching social, political, and economic changes were legislated through a series of edicts. Japan also reportedly opened its borders and invited foreign educators, scientists, and engineers, among other specialists, to assist the country’s people in “rapidly absorbing modern technology and Western knowledge.”

“Throughout the century, however, the drive to Westernize is paralleled by continued isolationist tendencies and a desire to resist foreign influences. Eventually, as has happened numerous times in the nation’s history, after the Japanese assimilate what has been borrowed, they use these imports to formulate a new but distinctly Japanese modern society,” the Met’s coverage of 19th century Japan read in part.

As with most countries, learning all there is to know about history—even if only about one century—is impossible by doing some light reading. Usually, it’s impossible even after a day or an entire week of delving deeper into it. But if these pictures evoked your interest in the topic, make sure to spend some time learning more about Japanese history and culture—it gets increasingly fascinating the more you know.