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Pictures from my grandfather's 1964 trip to Japan


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Today, my dad moved some old slides that my grandfather had taken in 1964 and there was a box marked Japan. I've scanned over one hundred and posted them here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jccarlton/sets/72157694905908012

He took pictures of the usual tourist stuff and some street scenes, rice paddies and fishing. My grandfather used to work in the emulsions department at Kodak and had access to very good film and from what I've seen of the scans so far, there has been no color drift, so this is a good look a Showa japan in color.

 

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These photos are absolutely amazing! These are worth being featured in an actual illustrated book.

Was your grandfather in Japan for business?

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From what I've seen it is hard to tell. Some pictures, which I did not scan, lead me to believe that it was a business trip, but the destinations are the usual tourist traps for the most part.

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Wow, what amazing work!  Thanks so much for sharing!  I'll be downloading all of these and already have a few scenes planed out from what your grandfather photographed.  The color is amazing!

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Nice photos! This week I just picked up a box of negatives donated to our club by an estate of a chap who was stationed in Yokohama innthe early 50s. He was really into transportation so lots of trams, trains, and busses.

 

jeff

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4 minutes ago, Kiha66 said:

I wonder if this is still around, looks like an exciting ride!

japan 1964 6

 

 

 

I think that's in Kyoto and was used for some sort of canal portage (can't remember the details offhand ).

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1 minute ago, serotta1972 said:

Those are some crazy switchbacks.

Damn, and they had no Eurobeat back in the 60s. How could they possible touge-drift those back then!? 🤣

Note all the buses though. Seems to be a popular place.

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Wow amazing photos! Thanks for sharing! This is truly a nice view back in the year when the Shinkansen started operation (1964) !

 

japan 1964 70

 

Immediately, Tomytec comes into mind!  

 

BRkC0xl.jpg

 

japan 1964 85

 

 

Tomytec Bus Galore! Wow I could see the bus industry was really popular back then... 

Edited by JR 500系
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Wonderful photos! The 151 series on the Fuji service was taken a few months before it got replaced with the shinkansen and the photo next to it is the interior of the dining car.

 

I think the racetrack photo Railsquid identified has Omorikaigan station in the foreground before it was elevated a few years later.

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5 hours ago, JR 500系 said:

Wow amazing photos! Thanks for sharing! This is truly a nice view back in the year when the Shinkansen started operation (1964) !

 

japan 1964 70

 

 

It's fun identifying the locations of all these photos... this one is a bit tricky, but I guessed the location before I made out the street sign, and I'm 99% sure it's this corner here:

 

https://goo.gl/maps/npxp8FmGNBG2

 

which marks one edge of the outer Tsukiji fish market.

The street sign says "Harumi-dori" (晴海通り) which puts it directly down the road from this one at Sukiyabashi (close to Yurakucho station):

41946233225_2a024dc4c4.jpg

japan 1964 128 by John Carlton, on Flickr

 

 

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Well this one proved a bit more challenging:

 

41036178370_ccb44b01d9_z.jpg

japan 1964 61 by John Carlton, on Flickr

 

but, as I said to myself, "Squiddy, if that's not somewhere on the coast between Yokohama and say Hakkeijima, then I'n not an ink-squirting cephalopod".


Helpfully the railway sidings centre-left in the photo rang a bell, and thanks to the magic of Google we can confirm they're on the Negishi line just north of Isogo station.

Two of the buildings visible in the photo (the large warehouse/factory type one just off the end of the sidings) and the 4-storey concrete one all on its own off to the right next to the sea are still in existence, which nails this one (though the large warehouse/factory building has lost one of its six parts, very likely due to the subsequent construction of the expressway immediately to the left).


Google aerial view here: https://www.google.co.jp/maps/@35.4073814,139.6244995,774m/data=!3m1!1e3

 

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26 minutes ago, railsquid said:

Well this one proved a bit more challenging:

 

41036178370_ccb44b01d9_z.jpg

japan 1964 61 by John Carlton, on Flickr

 

but, as I said to myself, "Squiddy, if that's not somewhere on the coast between Yokohama and say Hakkeijima, then I'n not an ink-squirting cephalopod".


Helpfully the railway sidings centre-left in the photo rang a bell, and thanks to the magic of Google we can confirm they're on the Negishi line just north of Isogo station.

Two of the buildings visible in the photo (the large warehouse/factory type one just off the end of the sidings) and the 4-storey concrete one all on its own off to the right next to the sea are still in existence, which nails this one (though the large warehouse/factory building has lost one of its six parts, very likely due to the subsequent construction of the expressway immediately to the left).


Google aerial view here: https://www.google.co.jp/maps/@35.4073814,139.6244995,774m/data=!3m1!1e3

 

The picture was labeled "Yakahama(Yokahama) Prince hotel. Needless to say, long gone, but the hill is apartments and offices now. I though ti was closer to central Yokahama 

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Yup, I suspected it was somewhere which had fallen victim to redevelopment.

Was there any labelling for this one (or the others taken in the same location)?

41036180670_4890a4c29b_z.jpg

japan 1964 44 by John Carlton, on Flickr

It looks like it might be somewhere on the Izu Peninsula but I can't match it to anywhere.

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1 hour ago, railsquid said:

Yup, I suspected it was somewhere which had fallen victim to redevelopment.

Was there any labelling for this one (or the others taken in the same location)?

41036180670_4890a4c29b_z.jpg

japan 1964 44 by John Carlton, on Flickr

It looks like it might be somewhere on the Izu Peninsula but I can't match it to anywhere.

The picture was taken with some others on the same day that they visited the bronze buddah, so it's probably in the Enoshima-Kamakura area. 

My fault, the picture is reversed by accident, the location is Yuigahama beach 
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Yuigahama+Beach/@35.3093063,139.5356417,852m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x601845e5c8ddd717:0x63de5e5c2bc6b1d!8m2!3d35.3092903!4d139.542248

The boats on the beach are still there

Edited by Jcarlton
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