From Lantern Runs to Global Mail: Japan’s 1884 Postal Masterpiece

Fourteen paintings prepared for an international exhibition in 1884 presented Japan’s postal system as a marvel of organisation. Inside the Tokyo Post Office and beyond, clerks, couriers, vehicles and labelled mailbags reveal a changing communications network. Explore how Meiji Japan portrayed the movement of letters at a time when new infrastructure was reshaping the country’s daily rhythm.