Dance party held to mark 150th anniversary of Yokohama Port

Dance party held to mark 150th anniversary of Yokohama Port

YOKOHAMA, Japan - Men and women wearing outfits in the style of late 19th century Japan, symbolizing the country's westernization during the Meiji era, dance at Hotel New Grand in Yokohama on Feb. 25 at a party to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Yokohama Port. The dances were reminiscent of those at the famous Rokumeikan Hall built in 1883, where Japanese and foreign dignitaries held evening and dance parties.

Dance party held to mark 150th anniversary of Yokohama Port

Dance party held to mark 150th anniversary of Yokohama Port

YOKOHAMA, Japan - Men and women wearing outfits in the style of late 19th century Japan, symbolizing the country's westernization during the Meiji era, dance at Hotel New Grand in Yokohama on Feb. 25 at a party to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Yokohama Port. The dances were reminiscent of those at the famous Rokumeikan Hall built in 1883, where Japanese and foreign dignitaries held evening and dance parties. (Kyodo)

A family eating noodles

A family eating noodles

This seems too big to be real soba (buckwheat noodles). The photograph depicts a fashionable scene from Edo culture. The man in front of the brazier has a topknot, indicating that the tide of Westernization had still not reached this family.==Date:unknown, Place:unknown, Photo:unknown, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images) [Cabinet Number96‐1‐0]

A woman in Western dress

A woman in Western dress

The Meiji government eagerly promoted a policy of Westernization to help Japan emerge from the fog of its long period of national isolation. This woman is dressed in what might be called Rokumeikan style, after the famous guest palace that symbolized Japan's adoption of Western culture.==Date:unknown, Place:unknown, Photo:unknown, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images) [Cabinet Number55‐24‐3]