Showa era

  • Nuts In: Arriving In Bubble Era Japan Was A Showa Stopper

    Ironically, my arrival in Japan coincided with the release of an aptly named snack, nuts-in, from Glico. I’ve had some kooky times in Japan since that fateful day when I got to New Tokyo International Airport in Narita precisely 38 years ago. I was only planning to stay for a short while and had a short-term visa. Plans changed. Not for the first time. Hoarding has been a lifelong habit. I recently found lots of old tickets and trinkets I had squirreled away in my early days in Japan. Lots of them I can’t use now because they’re no longer socially acceptable. My first-day memories are of the brown, barren…

  • No Holding The Horses When It Comes To Presenting Credentials*

    Japan’s Imperial Family undertakes as much pomp and paegantry as other countries with royals, though perhaps a little more subdued, with the profession of Presentation of Credentials being a good example. When an ambassador to Japan is appointed, they are given the option of getting a horse-drawn carriage ride from Tokyo Station to the Imperial Palace to present their credentials to the Emperor, the symbol of the state. I get to work in a place where you can see the ceremonies, which are a great show for me as a horse fan. The processions use zagyoshiki, which are ceremonial carriages drawn by a pair of horses. Most of the zagyoshiki…