Japan is a sovereign island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies off the eastern coast of the Asian mainland, and stretches from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the southwest. Jazz music arrived, and dance halls became fashionable among young people. The growing film industry produced silent films accompanied by benshi, narrators who explained plots and dramatized emotions. Theaters, cafés, and department stores (like Mitsukoshi) created a vibrant urban leisure scene.
This massive disaster destroyed much of Tokyo and Yokohama. Rebuilding efforts introduced modern infrastructure: wider streets, concrete buildings, and improved public transportation. One hundred years ago, Japan stood at a crossroads. The nation was racing toward modernity, absorbing global influences, experimenting with democracy, and redefining its cultural identity. The 1920s were a decade of motion—fast, creative, unstable, and transformative.
