The Snapshots in Time Collection

Page from a Japanese-English Phrasebook, 'Asking the Way' Section, WWII-Era Souvenir Document

Page from a Japanese-English Phrasebook, 'Asking the Way' Section, WWII-Era Souvenir Document

This page from a Japanese-English phrasebook, teaching basic travel phrases like 'Where is the post-office?', was preserved among the wartime letters and effects of a serviceman named Moon. Small printed guides such as this were common in prewar and wartime Japan, and copies frequently ended up in the hands of Allied troops as souvenirs, offering a window into everyday language and cultural exchange during World War II. Project: 218347