One thing I’ve noticed about the Japanese: they’re very good at is appreciating nostalgia, and on any given day you’re likely to hear someone exclaim natsukashii! (nots-ka-shee!), which can be translated as “that makes me so nostalgic I look like one of those manga characters with a tear rolling out of my eye!” Whether watching a variety show featuring the 50 best J-POP songs of the 1990s (iTunes Japan link) or appreciating the simply beauty of classic cars of a bygone era, the Japanese seem hardwired to love the old days. The heart of nostalgia to the Japanese is the Showa Period, the name for the reign of Emperor Hirohito which lasted from 1925-1989, which saw war and destruction followed by the rebuilding of the nation’s dreams and toilet seats that wash your butt for you. Today the imagery of the Showa Period is loved by many as a simpler, better era, and you can travel there by visiting a dagashi shop, which sells the traditional candy popularized in the years before after World War II. We’ve got many of these in stock for you to try, from liquid candy you knead with chopsticks to Kompeito star-shaped candy and Sakuma Drops can Grave of the Fireflies.(There’s a scene in Gunbuster where they’re up in a space station in a Japanese style sento back, washing using the yellow buckets with ケロリン stamped in red letters in the bottom. The irony of being in space while using such a famous object from the Showa Period is something only Gainax could have managed so well.)
Japan is a country that loves nostalgia.
