Digging Deeper into Japan's Snack Culture
Japanese snack stores are now in the spotlight as Showa retro.
The snacks and candies lined up in the small store are like a treasure chest turned upside down.
It is also very popular among the generation that does not know the Showa era and among tourists from overseas.
In the 1950s and 1970s, eating snacks and buying candies and toys at a snack store was a common sight in any Japanese town.
The snack shop was established as a place for children to gather after school as a "social gathering place”.
It is a place where elementary and junior high school students of different grades can interact and learn to communicate while enjoying themselves as children.
In the old days, the price of snacks at a snack store was about 5 to 10 yen. Children would come in with their pockets full of pocket money and buy lots of snacks.
It was a good opportunity for them to make ends meet with their pocket money and start learning how to use money here. 
The old-fashioned snack stores were run by grandmothers and grandfathers in stores that served as their residences and shops.
If you look into the living room at the back of the store, you will find a touch of life there.
If a snack store is near a junior high or high school, you could see students going up to the living room to spend time with their friends or do homework.
Since the 1980s, however, the number of snack shops has decreased significantly.Instead, the number of 24-hour convenience stores increased in the city.
The reason for this is the declining birth rate, the aging population, and the declining number of people in Japan, which has been highlighted as a major problem in Japan and has led to a major change in the way children play.
In the last few years, however, there has been a boom in the rediscovery of Showa culture, with the opening of snack stores in commercial premises in the style of the Showa era.
In addition, an animation based on a Japanese children's novel about a snack store has started to be broadcast.
Image Source : Fushigi Dagashiya Sentendo Anime Official Website
https://www.toei-anim.co.jp/tv/zenitendo/
Japanese snack stores are loved by a wide range of people, from children to young adults to adults who went to candy stores as children.
Even in a different culture, you will surely feel nostalgic in this space, so please visit one when you come to Japan!
Buy it now! : JAPANESE DAGASHI Snack Assortment Gift Box (worth $50)
JAPAN CRAZE SHOP Store Manager
Naoko Saito
