Sweet bean buns

Stores that made bread for foreign residents appeared from the end of the Edo period to the Meiji era, and the spread of Western food increased the opportunities for Japanese people to eat bread. In 1874, Kimuraya in Ginza launched anpan (sweet bean buns), which became very popular, and sweet buns took root among the general public.

Curry

The first Western cookbook. It was compiled by the caricaturist Kanagaki Robun based on a handbook of an Englishmen living in Yokohama who hired Japanese cooks to prepare their meals. The book contains 110 entries in two volumes, from recipes to cooking times for each ingredient. It is also famous as the first book that introduced curry.

Ramune

Carbonated lemonade, which was introduced to Japan at the end of the Edo period, was called "Ramune", a transliteration of the original word, and began to be sold in Japan in the Meiji era. During the cholera epidemic of 1904, rumors spread that drinking carbonated beverages would prevent infection, and people rushed to buy "Ramune".

Noriai basha

Noriai basha, or shared stagecoaches, began operating in 1869 on a route between the foreign settlements of Tsukiji and Yokohama. Like today's commuter buses, they carried a large number of passengers on a fixed route and back. In 1874, Senriken, depicted here, opened a route from Asakusa to Shinbashi.

Railroad line

Japan's first railroad line was officially opened in 1872 between Shinbashi and Yokohama. At the time of its opening, there were nine round trips per day, connecting the entire 29-km section of the line in 53 minutes. The scenery was often depicted in nishiki-e woodblock prints because of its rarity.

The Ford Model

It is said that automobiles were first introduced to Japan around 1896, and automobile dealerships opened in Ginza as early as 1902. In 1907, laws concerning automobiles were enacted, and the system of licenses and license plates began. The Ford Model T was a popular model sold by Ford Motor Company from 1908.

Western-style clothing

Only few men were wearing Western-style clothing in the mid-Meiji period; however, clothing became increasingly Westernized as Western-style clothing was designated as military, school, and police uniforms and formal ceremonial attire. This nishiki-e print, which depicts men's occupations and typical attire of the time.

Patrolman

The system of maintaining public order, which had been under the auspices of the samurai during the Edo period, collapsed with the Meiji Restoration. Servicemen on patrol, known as rasotsu, was established as a profession; the name was later changed to junsa, or "patrolman," leading to the modern police system.

体育

Tsuboi Gendō, who is considered the first Japanese P.E. teacher, published this book with his colleagues to teach physical education. The book introduced sports such as baseball, football (soccer), and tennis, with rules rearranged for the Japanese, and was a catalyst for the introduction of sports into school curriculum.

Charles Wirgman

Englishman Charles Wirgman came to Japan at the end of the Edo period as a reporter and illustrator for The Illustrated London News, the world's first newspaper with illustrations. While reporting news about Japan for the paper, he also founded his own magazine, The Japan Punch, aimed at foreigners residing in Japan.

Nagai Kafū

Nagai Kafū was popular for his many novels and essays from the Meiji to Showa eras. After returning to Japan from his overseas trips to the U.S. and France, he frequented Ginza and became an observer of the changes in the district. In an essay written in 1911, he wrote that Ginza "somehow has just about everything new and everything old."

Natsume Sōseki

Natsume Sōseki is a major figure in modern Japanese literature. At the end of the Meiji era, he changed his career from a teacher to a professional writer and produced many masterpieces. Sanshirō is the first of a trilogy following Sorekara and Mon, and vividly depicts the adolescence and growth of a young man who comes to Tokyo from the provinces.