Cool Japan: Showa Retro

■ Cool Japan: Showa Retro 

NHK Cool Japan "Showa Retro" edition.

"Retro Cafe"

The Showa retro era overlaps with Japan's period of high economic growth.

Before the bubble burst, there was a lot of admiration for the West and the momentum to catch up and surpass it.

And the last of the analog era is Showa retro.

It was a time before the automation and computerization of today, when people were not as wealthy, and still felt the warmth of handmade items.

I think it's these aspects that attract young people who have no knowledge of the Showa era, and that make the area appealing to foreigners as well.

"fair"

This doesn't exist in other countries, does it?

"Ennichi" festivals, which create ties with temples and shrines, are a way to confirm local ties while also being connected to religion, but they are also packed with entertainment.

When I was a kid, I also went there with excitement.

It's a special space where only children can come at night, wear yukata in the summer, and enjoy food and games that can only be found at festivals.

I'm glad that it still remains even now, when the building is still an apartment building.

I want the important thing, the community ties, to be preserved.

"Showa Pop Songs"

They are all masterpieces. People are just now discovering that there are so many great Japanese songs that have connections to J-POP.

And in those days, everyone watched TV together in the living room.

Everyone was listening to the same song, everyone was facing the same direction and working hard.

That's how we all grew up.

There are no longer any songs that everyone in the country knows.

Portable music players became popular, music went digital, and music changed from "everyone's music" to "personal music."

It's an evolution, but there's also a sad side to it, and I think people are wanting to sing those songs from back then again.

Showa retro is not as old as traditional Japanese culture, but it's not cutting-edge technology either; it's the perfect middle ground between old and new Japan.

Savoring its goodness is a meaningful act of discovering a new Japan.