A Bit of Friday Workshop 4/25

Question:What kind of snacks or sweets did you enjoy as a child in the Showa era?

Response:

I had many favorite snacks and sweets when I was a kid. One that really stands out is Marble Chocolate—that brings back memories!
Besides sweets, I also loved furikake, especially Noritama. Speaking of Noritama, it reminds me of a famous TV show called "8-Man" (エイトマン). He was a popular hero for kids back then, and we all dreamed of becoming like 8-Man.

Question: How did you communicate with your friends and family in the Showa era, before smartphones and the Internet?

Response:

Hmm, it’s a little hard to remember because the Showa era feels so far away now. I’ve almost forgotten how we communicated back then!Every household had a black or colorful telephone. So when we made plans to meet someone, we’d call each other to decide the time and place.

If someone didn’t show up on time, we just had to wait... sometimes for an hour or two! If I couldn’t wait any longer, I’d go home after about 15 minutes. The next day, I’d say, “Sorry I didn’t wait for you,” or sometimes they’d apologize to me.

Speaker 2: Didn’t you use the 掲示板 at the station?

Speaker 1: I didn’t know about that back then. Now I do—it was like a blackboard, right? But I never wrote anything on it. Now I remember what the Showa era was like... very nostalgic.

Speaker 2: Nostalgic, very nostalgic!What was tough in the days of black rotary phones was calling someone—you always had to get past their father first! I got so nervous.

Speaker 3:Right.

Speaker 2: I was always in a cold sweat—so funny to think about now!

Speaker 3:In a way, it was like an obstacle course!

Speaker2:Asking someone out on a date—that was the first big challenge, right?

Speaker 3:Yeah, many times I was asked, “Who are you?”

Question: We’ve talked a lot about TV programs already, but how about you? Let me ask you the last question—did you have a favorite TV show or anime during the Showa era?

Response: The first anime that comes to mind is 怪物くん and 仮面ライダー—I had the most fun watching those in elementary school!Also, ひみつのアッコちゃん, アタックNo.1, 魔法使いサリー, and リボンの騎士.