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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

It's an easy mistake...when you are congenitally incompetent.

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

This sort of act was once popular in British music halls of the 19th and 20th centuries.

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Two Japanese school girls photographed in 1946 at the time of the American occupation with a doll that looks more Western than a traditional Japanese doll. 📷 unknown

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. 1946 in Sendai while occupying Japan. 🇯🇵

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Sanuki Hiroshima, in the Seto Inland Sea, Japan. 広島 Hiroshima こちらは「波節岩灯標（はぶしいわとうひょう）」です。岩礁（波節岩）の上に設置された灯標（灯台）は、高さ13mもあり、花崗岩（かこうがん）の切石を積み上げてつくられています。その存在感は、遠目からでもしっかりとわかるほど

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Vintage Japan A studio portrait on glass dating from the late Meiji or Taisho period. The woman is wearing a patterned kimono and a decorative hat, holding a small teacup and saucer. Possibly she is a servant as the hat is typical of their indoor attire. 📷: unknown.

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

hey! presto! the thing was done; then, taking a piece of wire, he cut it loose from the wheel and placed it on the floor beside him - a graceful vase, matching its fellows in all proportions to the fraction of an inch." -Herbert George Ponting (In Lotus-Land Japan, p. 51)

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

...up to meet the master's hand and I almost expected the old fellow to mutter some incantation as, with fingers and spatula, he quickly made it swell out and hollowed it, and narrowed it again for the neck, and swelled it again for the lip, until, almost before my fascinated gaze could take it in..

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Many an hour I have spent watching him slicing off a lump of clay and slapping it on to his throwing wheel, which, with a few deft turns of his hand, he set spinning rapidly on its axis. Then, as if he were some necromancer casting a magic spell upon it, the shapeless lifeless clay rose...

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Two more photos from Herbert George Ponting (1875-1935). Taken in the first years of the 20th C as he travelled around Japan. "One old potter at Kinkosan's always interested me more than any other. ...

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

A simple studio set-up with a painted backdrop of foliage, a curtain, and that steady, severe gaze.

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Vintage Japanese Photography. A studio portrait from another era: a young man wearing standard Imperial Japanese Army uniform from the late 1930s. It looks as if he is wearing a campaign medal suggesting that he had already been deployed - and was now at home on leave.

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

The camp was closed in May 1944 when the three camps were combined into one unit at the Hyogo-Ken Internment Camp, Futatabi, some three miles outside of Kobe.

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Of this latter group, 24 were US civilian contractors captured at Guam, and the balance made up of British, Canadian, Guatemalian, Belgian, and Dutch.

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

In 1942 the Kobe authorities rounded up male civilian internees who were divided into 3 camps: 57 men at Butterfield and Swire's, 50 men at the Mark's House, and some 60-odd men at the Canadian Academy.

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

カネディアン・アカデミイ Students at the Canadian Academy on Nagamine-yama, in the north of Kobe, and one of two international schools in the city before WW2. The photos date from early 1942 just before it closed because of the war. Thereafter, the school was used as an internment camp for enemy aliens.

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

If the people commenting here both understood young people and today's internet they'd realise this is a valid generalisation. But they clearly don't.

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Tokyo also has the same issue: Chinese buying off plan apartments. So noting other comments it's a fascinating market which many global cities and developers are trying to grab. Can it be sustained? And are developers still over-leveraging on forward sales?

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

- Dubai's wealth was partially built on: selling property leading to empty flats. When the 2009 crisis hit it had to be rescued by Abu Dhabi because Dubai World was over-leveraged. And as noted in the article empty flats generate no income. - In the 90s Vancouver sold to HKK; Australia to SNG.

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Reposted by G M Thomas FRSA FRAS

Cezary Jan Strusiewicz @ostrichson.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

I live near Kamakura, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Japan. Over the decades, it feels like I've walked every inch of it, and during that time, I've discovered Kamakura's secret past as essentially Japan's Golden Age Hollywood. Details: www.tokyoweekender.com/art_and_cult...

tokyoweekender.com

From Tokyo Story to Slam Dunk: Famous Movie Locations in Kamakura

Discover Kamakura’s famous movie locations, from the studio behind Tokyo Story to the iconic Slam Dunk railway crossing and more.

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I'm no expert of course but I listened to the track after reading the article so was attuned but still couldn't hear the similarities except for the briefest of notes.

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Over the years it was neglected and deteriorated but it is now restored and can be seen at the Zojoji Treasures Gallery 増上寺宝物館展示室 Basement Level, Daiden (大殿 Great Hall)

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

In 1905 Basil Hall Chamberlain observed it was the most magnificent set of buildings in Tokyo at the time. It was destroyed in the closing days of the Second World War by American bombing. Fortunately the most magnificent model at 1/10 scale had been presented to George V in 1910.

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

One of Tokyo's most magnificent buildings was destroyed by bombs. The Taitokuin, the mausoleum of the second Tokugawa Shogun, Hidetada, was in the grounds of Zōjōji temple south of Edo Castle. The photo shows it on display in London in 1910.

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

A traditional storehouse with a decorative ridge ornament (onigawara) at the peak of the roof, and characteristic diamond-patterned plasterwork (namako-kabe) on its lower walls and side. Dates originally from late Edo when this area was inhabited by merchants.

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

If restored it would be a beautiful example of a storehouse or Kura. Found in the centre of Marugame this has been neglected for years and indtead is likely to stay that way because of ownership issues. #Japan #Kagawa #architecture

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

...nearly ended it. What survived became the base of today's Sanuki olive oil. The island is cultivating approximately 145 to 150 hectares of olive groves, managed by around 170 farmers and 25 to 30 processing companies.

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Shodoshima’s first olive trees were planted in 1908, after the government chose the island as a trial site because its climate was thought closest to the Mediterranean. The experiment failed more than once. Salt wind, typhoons, and poor stock... #Japan #Shodoshima #Setouchi #Kagawa #olives

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Tokyo, 2007. Midtown Tower rising over Roppongi, with a little greenery tucked uneasily in between the concrete. With Shinjuku stacked on the horizon. Still one of the best city views in the world me thinks. Vintage digital 📷 Nikon D50 #Japan #architecture

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

My take on AI is that it is better called the rather clunky amalgamated information, and because of its robotic writing (nicely put by the way) it has no soul.

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

七浦弘子 Hiroko Nanaura. A Japanese actress who appeared in a handful of films and TV in the mid-late 1950s, suddenly stopped and disappeared from public view.

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Vintage Japan. Studio portrait, hand-tinted, for sale to tourists. Said to date from 1880 but more likely 1890s. 📷 Unknown.

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Olive beef: before cooking and after! Sanuki Olive wagyu is Japanese Black (Kuroge Washu) beef with the cattle fed on a diet of toasted, dried olive pulp from the olive oil presses of Shodoshima Island in the Seto Inland Sea.

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Our local independent cinema is run by pensioners for example.

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

From the Guardian. Structural decline: what happened to Japan’s iconic buildings? – in pictures Japan once had a reputation for statement architecture – yet many buildings have been torn down since 2000. A new book reminds us of their futuristic beauty. www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...

theguardian.com

Structural decline: what happened to Japan’s iconic buildings? – in pictures

Japan once had a reputation for statement architecture – yet many buildings have been torn down since 2000. A new book reminds us of their futuristic beauty

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

...despite what is often said by developers and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Greening today is the odd tree stuck on a building.

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Tokyo then and now. I've compared the 1961 aerial photo of Tokyo using a current image from Google Earth.

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Aerial view of Tokyo - at the time often described as 'the world's largest village. The Diet building is bottom right and the view is looking east, with the moat of the Imperial Palace and then a low rise Maranouchi. Dates from ~ 1961. 📷 Torao Saito.

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

“It’s way too hot in the afternoon … although the mornings are not what you would call cool.” Farmers working early morning this summer.

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

When I'm out walking ~ 6am, the farmers are already out working. Kawasaki and his team once spent the entire day in the fields, but the heat has made that impossible. “Now we start early in the morning and work until around noon,” he says. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/s...

theguardian.com

As Japan swelters, farmers turn to new heat-resistant rice varieties to boost staple crop

New rice varieties give hope that farmers can overcome the climate emergency and a warmer future that threatens harvests

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Three camera manufacturers' ads from 1960. Two include women in it targeting while one is for men only. Guess which out of Nikon, Fuji and Olympus.

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

[The Peanuts (ザ・ピーナッツ, Za Pīnattsu) comprising twin sisters Emi(伊藤エミ, Itō Emi) and Yumi Itō (伊藤ユミ, Itō Yumi). They were born in Nagoya on April 1, 1941.]

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

I was talking to someone today about The Peanuts who emerged at the end of the 1950s and became a highly popular singing duo. They even appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show and had some success in the US and continental Europe. They also enjoyed a short film career. youtu.be/gRG34B54y-0?...

youtu.be

恋のバカンス - VACANCE DE L'AMOUR - ザ・ピーナッツ - The Peanuts (1963年) - Lyrics ENG / Paroles FR / Letras PT-BR

YouTube video by Your Humble Servant My Highness

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Early Japanese cinema. 🎥🎬🍿🇯🇵 A Page of Madness (狂った一頁, Kurutta Ichipēji) is a 1926 Japanese silent horror film directed by Teinosuke Kinugasa. Lost for 45 years until it was rediscovered by Kinugasa in his storehouse in 1971. #Letterboxd #filmsky youtu.be/wP0JDiaCpWA?...

youtu.be

A Page of Madness / Kurutta ippeji (Teinosuke Kinugasa, 1926)

YouTube video by Great Movies

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

♨️元銭湯のアートカフェ🍰 Tadotsu.

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Keiko Tsushima's role most known by Western audiences is in Seven Samurai (七人の侍). She plays Shino (志乃), where she is disguised as a boy to protect her from the samurai. Unsuccessfully as she has a relationship with Katsushirō, and loses her virginity to him.

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

津島恵子 🇯🇵🎬🎥 KEIKO TSUSHIMA (1926-2012) 緑の着物と黄色い帯が美くしい色彩のハーモニイをかなでる津島さんの春の一刻。お父様ご自慢の渋い日本間の色が更に津島さんの美くしさを浮び上らせます。 📷 (ローライオートマットV・テッサード3.5・F4・25分の1秒・エクタ →クロームBタイプ・ライト4個使用・最能・小林） Her final film role was in Nagoriyuki (2002). #FilmSky #Letterboxd 🍿

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

鳴門の渦潮, Naruto no Uzushio. The Naruto Whirlpools are well known. The British first mapped them in 1861 in the Bunkyū Era (文久). 👇 But they need to be visited at the right time to see them at their most ferocious - Spring high tide is one such time as in the photos below which date from April 2014.

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G M Thomas FRSA FRAS @japanauthor.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

for our friends in Japan from H.F. & Ph.F.Reemtsma Alton-Bahrenfeld." These were the two brothers who owned the Reemtsma cigarette brand.

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