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Alarik76 (Offline)
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Question Help on Japanese history! - 05-18-2011, 08:03 PM

Hello everybody,

I am a writer presently working on a fictional book (not in English). A chapter of this book will be set in Japan, in 1930s, in Niigata (capital of Niigata city). For this reason, I have a few questions relating to this part of Japan at that time. I know it's odd, so please bear with me...

I am trying to understand what would this city have looked like at that time?
E.g. the estimated population (I understand Niigata prefecture was quite populous in the late 19th century),
was there any landmarks?
was the city similar to Kyoto historical district or was it already quite modern?
was there a lot of manufacturing in that area?
Was there any secondary school / university in Niigata at that time?
Is the weather in Niigata specific (e.g. lots of rain or lots of winds/clouds)?
Are there any pictures of Niigata prior to WW2 on the web?

I am also trying to understand what would have been the secondary education system in Japan at that time.
The uniform (if any) worn by the pupils,
the subjects taught at school,
the discipline,
the schedule for a typical day at school (when did they start, when did they finish, etc.),
the organisation of a class and/or of a school.
Were there any boarding schools? What were they like? Etc.

I am conscious I am asking a lot of questions, which relate to some old time that most people on this forum probably don't know anything about (welcome to my club!). Sorry about that, but if you have some information you are willing to share (some knowledge of yours or some links to some interesting web pages), I would be grateful if you could get in touch with me.

In advance, thank you for your kind support.
Regards,
Seb
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yasuto (Offline)
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05-20-2011, 02:17 PM

was there any landmarks?

For example:
Bandai Bridge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

was the city similar to Kyoto historical district or was it already quite modern?
Neither similar to Kyoto historical district nor quite modern. It was more like a busy harbor city and front-line base of soldiers headed to Manchuria.

was there a lot of manufacturing in that area?
Yes there was. The main industries in the era were port, oil (Niigata was petroliferous area) and agriculture.

Was there any secondary school / university in Niigata at that time?
There was only one secondary school and one women’s secondary school in Niagara city but no university. And there were a few technical high school, vocational school etc. in the prefecture (not in the city).

Is the weather in Niigata specific (e.g. lots of rain or lots of winds/clouds)?
Yes, the city is characterized by the precipitation and humidity.
Niigata (city) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Are there any pictures of Niigata prior to WW2 on the web?
http://www.city.niigata.jp/info/higa...ine06_back.pdf
http://www.nbz.or.jp/rekibun/siryo/ehagaki.html

You can also find some old pics of Niigata city here:
MINATOPIA--Niigata City History Museum
Niigata City History Museum
http://www.city.niigata.jp/info/rekishi_bunka/

I am also trying to understand what would have been the secondary education system in Japan at that time.
The uniform (if any) worn by the pupils,
the subjects taught at school,
the discipline,
the schedule for a typical day at school (when did they start, when did they finish, etc.),
the organisation of a class and/or of a school.
Were there any boarding schools? What were they like? Etc.

It is hard to answer these questions since the education system of Japan at the time is very complicated. The uniform, the subjects taught at school, the discipline, the schedule, the organization etc. may vary per school.

Not much help but I wish your research goes well. Good lack
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Alarik76 (Offline)
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05-21-2011, 09:09 AM

Dear Yasuto,

Many thanks for your reply! I shall soon visit the links you suggest and take into consideration your precious comments on Niigata.

Again, thank you!
Seb
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