Jump Back to the Heisei Era
Take a nostalgic step back in time into the Heisei era at the TBS Neo Heisei Retro Exhibition inside the Shibuya Seibu department store. Whether you’re reminiscing about your childhood or experiencing the lives of a past generation, this exhibit displays the evolution of fashion, technology, toys and more in a fun and colorful way.
The nengo Japanese era naming system is based on the reign of emperors. The Showa era ran from 1926 to 1989, and we are currently in the Reiwa era. The Heisei era, stretching from 1989 to 2019, marked a pivotal moment for technological innovation and pop culture expression. Just as the concept of “Showa retro” marks the nostalgic appreciation for music, artwork, food and fashion of the time, “Heisei retro” similarly celebrates the “close yet distant” memories from the turn of the millennium.
Exhibition
The exhibition features nine areas and over 300 artifacts, taking visitors through the Heisei era across various angles. These areas include a section where communication devices such as flip phones and pagers are lined up, a recreation of a typical bedroom room from the era, and a display of gyaru fashion and trend magazines.
The exhibition is supervised by Melo Yamashita, a proponent of “Heisei Retro” and a researcher of Heisei era culture. Yamashita has introduced nostalgic culture through numerous media appearances, including TBS’s “Matsuko’s Unknown World.” The main visual of the exhibition was made by illustrator Kohaku Ame, who specializes in retro-pop illustrations.
Idol duo Chi Q (stylized as Chi☆Q) will also serve as ambassadors for the exhibition. Mamoru Daichi and Ippei Kuma debuted in 1989, right at the threshold between Showa and Heisei. By 1995, the group had grown to 60 members and become the largest idol group in Japan. The Neo Heisei Retro Exhibition will feature Chi Q’s stage costumes and accessories from August 17 to August 22.
Goods
The exhibition also has a variety of cute merchandise that takes the retro vibes beyond the gallery doors. Goods include a compact mirror shaped to resemble a Sony MiniDisc (MD), a “Heisei Computer Club” sticker pack and a plush keychain of the exhibition’s mascot Tokimero.
To help alleviate customer congestion and ensure safety measures, tickets for some dates will be sold with a designated date and time system. Please see the ticket website for more information.
