One thing about the Japanese is that they seem hard-wired to appreciate nostalgia, whether it’s eating the traditional candy they grew up with during the Showa Period or appreciating the wabi and sabi (translatable as “the tranquil simplicity and beauty found in the old and imperfect”) of an old sento public bath. The new Kyoto Animation series Tamako Market draws on this tendency for people to feel natsukashii (nots-ka-shee, meaning nostalgic) about the good old days, centering around a family selling mochi rice cakes in an old-timey shopping street of the type that were popular two decades ago but which are now generally quite deserted. It’s kind of K-On! meets Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi with a touch of Angry Birds thrown in, and it’s an entertaining snapshot at a simpler side to Japan, back when there were talking birds. If you’re interested in seeing what Japan was like back in the Showa Period, we’ve got some great photobooks and 2013 photo calendars you might like to explore. And we even have mochi.
Tamako Market is an anime about rice cakes and nostalgia.
