Latest news with #Showa-era
Japan Today
26-05-2025
- Japan Today
Kamioka is a charming Showa-era time capsule nestled in Japan Alps
By Rachel Crane Kamioka is a charming Showa-era time capsule nestled in the Japan Alps. Part of Hida City in Gifu Prefecture, Kamioka was once a mining town. While the industry and population have declined, Kamioka's old-world charm and fascinating history continue to draw visitors. The best way to experience the town is to take a guided tour. A local guide will lead guests along the river via retro shops and teahouses, while narrating stories from the town's rich history. Some guided tours specialise in sampling regional delicacies, while Nordic hiking tours take adventurous visitors out to the surrounding mountains. Kamioka's signature product is sake (alcohol), so be sure to sample the fine spirits the town has to offer. The neighboring Furukawa area of Hida City specialises in the production of traditional Japanese candles, making the area a perfect place to shop for unique handmade gifts. For nature lovers, the best time to go hiking in Kamioka is summer, when the mountain air is at its mildest. In winter, the town gets an average of three meters of snow, and is a great base for skiers looking to enjoy the powder on the Japanese Alps. History, Science and Culture Kamioka is home to a collection of interconnected museums and cultural sites that tell the story of the town's fascinating transformation through the years. The most impressive relic of the town's past is Kamioka Castle, which is in authentic Sengoku period style. A climb up to the castle's viewing platform offers views over the beautifully landscaped grounds and the rooftops of the old town below. The scenery is particularly enchanting in early April, when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom. Click here to read more. External Link © GaijinPot
Japan Forward
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Forward
A Retro Wonderland Where Showa Japan Comes to Life
このページを 日本語 で読む In recent years, "Showa retro," a wave of nostalgia for Japan's Showa era (1926–1989), has surged in popularity among the country's younger generations. Interestingly, many of those embracing the trend weren't even born yet. The park's "Sunset Hill Shopping Street" bustling with visitors of all ages. This fascination has sparked renewed interest in Showa-era establishments, such as retro coffee shops that evoke the atmosphere of decades past. A new event called "Everyone March!" at the Seibuen Amusement Park. One particularly popular destination is Seibuen Amusement Park in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture. In May 2021, the park underwent a major renovation, with its centerpiece being Sunset Hill Shopping Street — a 150-meter-long (about 492 ft) recreation of a typical Showa-era townscape. "Sunset Hill Shopping Street" at Seibuen Amusement Park in October 2023. Characters like police officers and shop girls bring the nostalgic charm of the Showa era to life. The street comes alive with various events, both large and small, hosted by performers dressed in Showa-style costumes. Among the most beloved is the "Boogie-Woogie Festival," where visitors are invited to sing and dance alongside the entertainers. Visitors join in with the "residents" in song and dance. On April 26, the park launched a special celebration: the Grand Showa 100 Festival, commemorating both the park's 75th anniversary and the 100th year since the beginning of the Showa era. The opening day drew significant attention, highlighted by a guest appearance from singer and actor Ken Matsudaira. Actor Ken Matsudaira (center top) appeared at the "Golden Matsuken Festival" held at Seibuen Amusement Park on April 26. Sunset Hill Shopping Street is alive with nostalgia, drawing both older visitors and curious younger guests during the Showa centennial celebration. "Residents" lead the audience toward the stage. Author: Takumi Kamoshida, The Sankei Shimbun このページを 日本語 で読む
SoraNews24
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- SoraNews24
New retro museum in Tokyo is like a time portal back to the Showa era【Photos】
A look back at Japan's past in one of Tokyo's more modern neighborhoods. In a lot of ways, Tokyo's Odaiba neighborhood feels like a futuristic place. It's built on a man-made island in the middle of Tokyo Bay, with modern shopping centers, high-rise hotels, and, oh yeah, a life-size Gundam statue. But if you're looking for a glimpse of old-school Japan, you can find that at Odaiba too. Late last month the Odaiba Retro Museum opened its doors to visitors, and in doing so also opened a portal to the past. The specific style of retro on display here is the Showa era, the period of Japanese history that ran from 1926 to 1989. Generally speaking, though, when people in Japan are reminiscing about the good old Showa retro days, they're primarily talking about the mid-1950s onward, especially the period of progressing prosperity of the '60s, '70s, and early '80s, after Japan had finished the most painful parts of its post-war recovery but before the high-intensity atmosphere of the bubble economy. To many, that stretch of the Showa era represents a time of simple happiness, of peace and relative prosperity without the pressures of more modern times. 'It was a time without smartphones, personal computers, or social media,' says the museum. 'It was a time when things were handmade, handwritten, and handcrafted. That's why the things and places of the Showa period were imbued with a sense of warmth and humanity.' The Odaiba Retro Museum seeks to recreate those Showa spaces, and does so using numerous actual preserved artifacts from the period. Built within the facility are townscapes and storefronts in the Showa style, such as a wood-floor school classroom, public bath entryway, and appliance store selling all sorts of then-novel conveniences to boost your quality of life. A number of the spaces even allow you to step on into the past and imagine what your Showa life would have been like. To some, a visit to the Tokyo Retro Museum, which is located within the Decks Tokyo Beach building, will be doubly nostalgic. For many years, the complex contained a similar retro recreation floor, which has now been reopened and is being expanded as the Tokyo Retro Museum. The museum is looking to make the experience even more authentic and is seeking donations of Showa-era items such as housewares, toys, posters, and signage. And if you want to keep the Showa vibes going even after you leave, there's also this immersive recreation in Chiba Prefecture. Museum information Odaiba Retro Museum / お台場レトロミュージアム Address: Tokyo-to, Minato-ku, Daiba 1-6-1, Decks Tokyo Beach 4th floor 所在地：東京都港区台場1丁目6-1 デックス東京ビーチ4階 Open 11 a.m.-8 p.m. (weekdays), 10 a.m.-9 p.m. (weekends, holidays) Adult admission 1,300 yen Website Source, images: PR Times ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! [ Read in Japanese ]
The Mainichi
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Mainichi
Hotel in Japan's Atami opens 'Showa retro' themed areas for 100th anniv. of era
ATAMI, Shizuoka -- Marking 100 years since the Showa era (1926-1989) began in Japan, a mainstay hotel in this central Japan hot spring resort city has been offering a number of projects themed on the period. With Nintendo Family Computer ("Famicom") consoles, rotary phones and cassette decks, visitors may feel like they've slipped back into the '80s, if not earlier. The Hotel New Akao opened in 1973. After closing down in November 2021, it was taken over by a U.S. investment firm along with affiliated facilities in the area. Popular for its Showa-era luxury facilities, including a dance floor with sparkling chandeliers and a main dining hall with seating for 496 people, stays increased by 20% in 2024 versus before the COVID-19 pandemic in a V-shaped recovery. A 12-tatami mat Japanese-style room that is being offered starting April 29 on the Showa Day public holiday is themed on 1970s hobbies and aims to let guests experience a night from the past era. Visitors can enjoy playing original Famicom games and listening to vinyl records. The items were either provided by businesses or collected by employees who brought them from their parents' homes. Since January, the hotel has been offering guests a variety of retro-themed experiences in a bid to recreate the atmosphere of the Showa era. As part of its initiatives, guests can borrow record players, cassette boom boxes and board games at the lobby. The facility also offers rentals of "bubble outfits" -- flashy clothing styles popular among women during Japan's bubble economy period in the latter half of the 1980s -- and has recreated a room reminiscent of a typical Showa-era living room. Guests who stay overnight or visit for day-use baths are being encouraged to take eye-catching photos and upload them to social media. The first-floor dining area, known as "Nigiwai Yokocho," hosts a "dagashi" penny candy shop supervised by Amanoya Shigeta Shoten, a long-established candy store from Shizuoka Prefecture founded in 1926, the first year of the Showa era. Around 200 varieties of dagashi and toys, mostly priced between 20 and 60 yen (around 14-42 cents), are available, and sales have exceeded expectations. A 20-year-old man and his 17-year-old sister from the city of Soka, Saitama Prefecture, who stayed with their 81-year-old grandmother, said, "It feels new. We came because we like taking photos." A couple, 64 and 63, from Tokyo's Meguro Ward who visited for the day-use bath commented, "To use a current expression, it's 'emoi' (emotionally moving). It's nostalgic." The Showa experience room is available until July 13, while the bubble dresses will be available until June 30. (Japanese original by Koji Wakai, Ito Local Bureau)
