In the early days of July 1853, the residents of Uraga on the outskirts of the feudal capital of Japan at Edo were privy to a rather unusual sight: Four hulking foreign warships had entered their harbor under the power of coal, and under the command of Commodore Matthew Perry of the United States. So began one of the pivotal cultural interactions between East and West. Commodore Perry came as an...

New York Public Library presents this enjoyable way to leaf through a selection of Japanese books from the Spencer Collection, that encompasses "300 manuscripts and 1,500 printed books from Japan; the manuscripts range from the 12th to the 20th century, and the printed works from the year 770 to the present". The collection guide points out highlights for those uncertain where to begin in this...

Last mentioned in the July 30th, 1999 Scout Report, the current database represents a redesign and standards upgrade of the inherited data. The collection now includes approximately 6,000 hand-colored photographs, taken at various locations all over Japan, during the Bakumatsu-Meiji period, 1860 - 1920. In addition to searching by photographer, category, keyword, or location, it is now possible to...

Trying to capture the essence of a country's history through photographs and portraiture is difficult, but the National Diet Library of Japan has done just that through this remarkable digital exhibit. They started to compile this collection of prominent members of modern Japanese society in 2004, and the exhibit currently contains over 350 images. After reading a short introductory essay,...

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) presents this online interactive to accompany its onsite exhibition, Tokyo 1955–1970: A New Avant-Gard, which is on view November 18, 2012–February 25, 2013. The website is designed as a timeline, that actually extends before and after the exhibition period of 1955 – 1970. For example, events as far back as the 1872 founding of Tokyo's first Art Museum, or the...