The Showa Era

In early Showa, Japan’s wartime boom from World War I ended, and the country fell into a postwar recession.
As the recession worsened bank finances, the Showa Financial Crisis also hit.
Then came the earthquake recession triggered by the Great Kanto Earthquake, followed by the Great Depression sparked by the Wall Street crash in New York. Japan’s economy kept deteriorating, and the country as a whole grew poorer.

As the military tried to rebuild Japan, it launched operations in Manchuria on its own authority. This led into the Second Sino-Japanese War and then World War II.
World War II effectively ended for Japan after the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. In 1945, Japan accepted the Potsdam Declaration and the war came to a close.
Japan then began rebuilding the nation under GHQ administration.

Under GHQ rule, Japan implemented many policies to rebuild and create a new postwar society.
One of the first steps was the breakup of the zaibatsu.
Zaibatsu were powerful conglomerates centered on family-run parent companies.
Because these groups had formed a key part of Japan’s wartime economic base, they were dismantled to prevent Japan from regaining the capacity to wage war.

Japan had been unable to export due to international sanctions, but exports resumed under GHQ administration.
The following year, the Korean War began, boosting trade with the U.S. military and bringing an economic boom to Japan.
However, the boom ended with the war, and Japan slipped back into recession.

That recession soon gave way to a boom, driven by advances in heavy and chemical industries.
Japan then entered what became known as the “high economic growth” period.
During this time, Japan kept growing at an average annual rate of around 10%.
In comparison, Japan’s 2019 growth rate was 0.3% year on year, and even going back to 2009 it never exceeded 5%, showing just how fast the economy was expanding then.

As Japan grew richer, living standards rose quickly.
Households gained appliances like TVs and refrigerators, and imported foods and instant foods became common.
The oil shock, which drove up prices for petroleum-based products, pushed Japan into recession again, but it ended quickly thanks to growth in high-tech and service industries.
Later, a U.S.-led weak-yen policy helped trigger Japan’s bubble economy, an era of extraordinary prosperity.

Until around the 1920s, rice and fish were at the center of the Japanese table. As Western influence gradually grew, refrigerators became common during the high economic growth period, and the arrival of instant foods transformed everyday meals.
Staples expanded to include bread and pasta, people ate meat more often, and American fast food like hamburgers gained popularity alongside the rise of eating out.

In the turbulent Showa era, fashion also changed dramatically.
Here’s a quick look at major trends by decade.

As you can see, even within the Showa era, fashion trends shifted greatly from decade to decade.
If you dig deeper into Showa fashion, you can also picture how people’s values changed, so it’s worth exploring if you’re interested.

The Showa era is often called the golden age of idols.
In particular, the 1980s are known as the peak idol boom, with stars like Seiko Matsuda, Akina Nakamori, and Kyoko Koizumi, who are still famous today.
Compared with idols in the Reiwa era, Showa-era idols often feel more mature in style and presence.
If you enjoy idol culture, comparing Showa and today can be a fun way to see how tastes have changed.

Have you heard the term kanban kenchiku?
Even many Japanese people don’t know the name.
Still, many of these buildings remain today, so you’ve likely seen them before.

Kanban kenchiku refers to wooden buildings whose street-facing facade is made flat and wide like a signboard, often finished with copper plates or tiles.
After the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923, about half of Tokyo’s buildings were destroyed or partially destroyed.
Kanban kenchiku became a popular architectural style during the city’s rebuilding.

Key features include:
・A flat front covered with copper plates or tiles
・Wooden construction
・A narrow frontage with deep depth

Seeing these buildings in person often brings a strong sense of nostalgia.

A film that had a major impact on Showa-era youth was “Season of the Sun,” which depicts youth sexuality and violence.
The characters are young people who grew up in postwar society, rejecting traditional values with a dry, rational mindset, enjoying sailing by the sea, and finding a kind of beauty in disorder and delinquency.

Perhaps because many young people at the time also questioned mainstream values, the lifestyle and fashion shown in the film became a huge trend.
Young people who imitated the characters were called the “Sun Tribe” (Taiyozoku).
By watching films that shaped youth culture in Showa, you may get a real feel for the era’s social mood and values.

The “Wakadaisho” series, starring hugely popular actor Yuzo Kayama, captures the upbeat mood of Japan during the high economic growth years.

Across the series, the basic plot is the same:
“The hero, affectionately known as Wakadaisho, gets caught up in some kind of trouble. As he struggles to resolve it, he’s obstructed by his rival, Aodaisho. He overcomes the interference and solves the problem.”
This makes it a great pick for experiencing the spirit of high-growth Showa Japan.

“The Yellow Handkerchief,” starring legendary actor Ken Takakura, was a major hit in the Showa era and is still regarded as a classic today.
It’s a road movie about three heartbroken men traveling through Hokkaido in a single car and getting caught up in various troubles along the way.
The story may sound simple, but the performances make it deeply moving by the end.
If you haven’t seen it yet, watching it when you’re nursing a broken heart might make it even more relatable.

The beloved long-running series “It’s Tough Being a Man” (Otoko wa Tsurai yo), known to virtually everyone in Japan, also began in the Showa era.

The broad story is similar in every installment: the main character, Tora-san, returns to his hometown of Shibamata in Katsushika, Tokyo, ends up causing some trouble, sets off on a journey, falls in love on the road, doesn’t find lasting success in love, and then comes home again.
The film’s warmth comes from Tora-san’s heartfelt connections with people he meets and with his family.
Because the basic plot stays the same, the human kindness at its core stands out even more.
Even if you didn’t grow up in Showa, these films can leave you thinking, “So this is what Showa warmth felt like,” with a mix of nostalgia and comfort.

Today in Shibamata, you can visit the Katsushika Shibamata Tora-san Museum, which recreates the neighborhood as it looked around the early 1960s.
It also features the set used for Kurumaya, the dango shop where Tora-san returns, making it a must for fans.

Today, smoking is restricted in more and more places, and spaces where you can smoke are limited.
Given the health risks of secondhand smoke, that makes sense.
In the Showa era, though, people could smoke right in their airplane seats.
And not just on planes, you could smoke on trains and even in office meeting rooms, with ashtrays everywhere.

TV regulations were looser in the Showa era, and it wasn’t unusual for female nudity to air during dinner time when families watched together.
Today, you wouldn’t see that even late at night, which is pretty surprising.
There were also many other TV shows with content too extreme to broadcast in Japan now, so looking up Showa-era television can be fascinating.

In Japan today, you must be 20 or older to buy alcohol or cigarettes.
If you look under 20, staff may ask for ID.
In the Showa era, though, it was common for kids to buy alcohol or cigarettes as an errand.

In schools, corporal punishment such as slapping students was considered normal when teachers disciplined kids.
Some parents even told teachers, “If my child misbehaves, please hit them.”
It was seen as necessary for education.
That, too, is hard to imagine today.

A ramen-themed museum where you can try regional ramen from across Japan.
You might be wondering what this has to do with Showa.
Inside, the streetscape recreates the atmosphere of 1958 (Showa 33).
So you can enjoy ramen along with a retro Showa setting.

Stretching for about 670 meters, Sunamachi Ginza Shopping Street still has some kanban kenchiku buildings like the ones mentioned earlier.
You can snack as you go, with street foods like yakitori and oden, making it a great place to enjoy Showa retro vibes and local eats at once.

Nonbei Yokocho, a compact alleyway near Shibuya Station, is home to just under 40 tiny bars and eateries.
With its Showa-retro atmosphere, it’s a fun spot for drinks and casual bites.