This intriguing series was collected during a 6-month visit to Japan, during which Genthe managed to share his perspective of the vivid daily experiences of its local citizens. Steel, textiles, and shipbuilding were booming. Major companies known as zaibatsu (like Mitsubishi and Sumitomo) dominated the economy. Trade increased, and Japan sought more global economic influence. Yet the economy also faced setbacks, including the 1923 Great Kantō Earthquake, which devastated Tokyo and Yokohama.
Writers like Akutagawa Ryūnosuke and Tanizaki Jun’ichirō shaped modern Japanese literature. Cinema flourished, and silent films with live narrators (benshi) were hugely popular. Traditional arts such as kabuki and tea ceremony remained important, creating a dynamic blend of old and new. Although society was becoming more democratic, the military still held significant power. Japan had emerged as a major international power after World War I. It participated in global diplomacy but also pursued expansion in East Asia, especially in China. Rising nationalism and militarism would intensify in the following decades.
