I was going to live in Japan for a bit and volunteer at some different places in exchange for free room and board. I did this partially out of memory for my now-passed grandfather who seemed to live a life of adventure and I wanted to do the same.
Before leaving I got every single photo of his from Japan and digitized them. I spent a very long time attempting to find any photo that aligned with the present. Most photos were unlabeled or only had vague descriptions. Even more problematic was the fact that most of Japan when he was there was still destroyed by the war.
However, some of the Japanese people I worked with helped me in my quest and one recognized the Imperial Palace in this photo.
When I finally got a chance to go to Ginza it was also my literal last day in Japan. I didn't know if the spot was inaccessible to the public or if I could find it at all because the palace is quite large. When I spotted the building in the background I had some pretty indescribable feelings, especially when combined with what I was already feeling about leaving Japan.
Also credit to my co-worker and friend who I met and spent some really great times with in Japan, Aurelia, for doing such a good job with aligning the two photos.
To be honest I could write forever about my adventures in Japan because things fell in place so often. Perhaps my grandfather helped me along.
Here ia much higher-quality version of this image.
Sound_Less on March 23rd, 2026 at 13:14 UTC »
I see that house survived!
HipHopDropper on March 23rd, 2026 at 13:18 UTC »
That tree grew up 🌳
Spartan2470 on March 23rd, 2026 at 13:58 UTC »
Specifically, /u/Dauntless1's grandfather.
Here ia much higher-quality version of this image.
Here is the location via Google Street View.
https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/i76v59/my_grandfather_and_i_in_tokyo_73_years_apart/