Japanese Government Travel Posters in the 1930s: A New Japonisme by the Japanese

In the 1930s, the Japanese government attempted to improve its increasingly unpopular image abroad, and one way was to attract more foreign tourists to Japan. This chapter examines the posters issued by the Japanese Government Railways to promote inbound tourism to Japan. These posters presented a vision of Japan that was reminiscent of the “old Japan” imagery found in ukiyo-e prints, reinforcing the popular perception of Japan that was shaped by Japonisme. Also discussed is how these posters were intended to reawaken the historical memories of Japonisme as a time when Japan captivated the Western imagination. This chapter argues that they produced a new type of Japonisme that was created by the Japanese with the Western gaze in mind.