"relics of poverty" are newest J-love

[Taro Toporific]

02/10/03: Japanese Retailers Kickin' It Old School
Tokyo's newest shopping mall is a half century old or at least that's the decor. It's inspired by a time when Japan was still a destitute Third World country struggling to rebuild after World War II. Most of what's for sale is 21st Century, but about 10 percent of the merchandise was packaged to resemble soda pop or curry seasoning circa 1955. Today the junky toys may come from China but perfectly complete the illusion of traveling backward to a time...Outfitting a multi-million dollar shopping mall with relics of poverty may seem counterintuitive, but for many jaded Japanese, the late 1950s and early 1960s, when the Japanese economic miracle was launched, are recalled today with deep fondness and wistful longing. The shoddy store fronts and antique posters hearken back to an era lived with a sense of purpose and destiny missing from contemporary Japan...