Illustrator Natsuya’s never-ending summer dreams of pools, popsicles, and aquamarine
Ahh, natsu (夏)… It means “summer” in Japanese, and also happens to be the first two syllables in the word natsukashii (懐かしい), which is “nostalgic.”…
Retro
Retro, Vintage, and Cars: A day at the Megaweb History Garage in Odaiba
Do you fancy retro items and vintage aesthetics or are you a fan of the Showa Period or old cars? At the Megaweb History Garage,…
Lego’s 2,600-piece NES set lets you rebuild 8-bit gaming memories – without having to blow on the cartridge
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) brought a new era of console gaming when it was first released. Some of the games for the NES at…
Players make charming retro Showa era Japan islands in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Japan’s Showa period ran from 1926-1989, and while it’s often viewed with the historic context that focuses on the post-World War II hardship and the…
Donguri: A Showa Retro Restaurant Where Orders Come Floating Downstream
You’ve probably heard of kaiten-zushi, restaurants where sushi plates are delivered to customers on a rotating conveyor belt. One Japanese restaurant takes a radically different…
Take Home A Bit of Japanese Nightlife Nostalgia with LED Snack Bar Sign Magnets
The sunakku: Japan’s nostalgic “snack bars” Ah, the Japanese sunakku スナック A fixture of Japanese nightlife for over half a century, these cozy little drinking…
Mangaka and Illustrator Sakuma Asana’s Retro Bubble Tea Ad Has A Modern-Day Message
Bubble tea drinks are all the rage in Japan and shops selling bubble tea, or tapioca タピオカ as it’s called here, seem to be popping…
Miniature Retro Showa Era Fans Become Nostalgic Delight In Japan
Although Japan has embraced the new Reiwa era, the appeal of the “golden days” atmosphere of the Show era doesn’t seem to be going anywhere,…
Tomioka High School Dance Club Grads Energize Oreo’s Zany “Pandance” Commercial
Accomplishments of the Tomioka High School Dance Club If the name Tomioka High School Dance Club doesn’t ring a bell, you may know them as…
Starbucks Japan Offers Pudding a la mode Frappuccino, Transforms Into Retro Japanese Coffee House For Limited Time
Travelers often rave about the creative seasonal Frappuccinos available exclusively at Starbucks Japan, it becomes easy to overlook the nostalgic charm of traditional old-fashioned Japanese…
Try Japanese School Lunches From Meiji to Heisei Era At Retro Showa Tamagawa Onsen
If you’re a fan of manga, anime or Japanese TV dramas, then you may have seen depictions of school-provided lunches in a Japanese school. However,…
Fan Trailer Gives Star Wars: A New Hope Old School 80’s Anime Makeover
Fan-made anime trailers putting a spin on classic titles, such as re-imagining My Neighbor Totoro as a gruesome horror film, aren’t exactly a new phenomenon,…
The Chill and Retro Pixel Art of Motocross Saito
Pixel artist, designer, DJ and track maker Motocross Saito creates memorable GIF animations in a retro style, channeling ’80s and ’90s culture and music, with…
Artist “E wo kaku Peter” Imagines New Technologies Injected Into Objects From Japan’s Recent Past
Japanese freelance concept artist E wo kaku Peter has a unique flair for imagining technologies future and past paired together in realistic illustrations. His clear…
Easy and Comfy Hakama-style Roomwear Inspired By Japanese Artist
You might be familiar with the creative designs of Japanese brand Mocolle, a name which mixes the Japanese word for “fantasy” (mousou) with “collection” for…