[For Seniors] Nostalgic quizzes that bring back memories! Showa-era entertainment and sports questions

What is the nickname ending with “-chan” for the inflatable vinyl dolls known by names like “Tree-climbing Winky” and “Kuronbo Bura-chan”?

The inflatable vinyl doll that was sold under names like “Tree-Climbing Winky” and “Little Blacky Bura-chan” is widely remembered as rarely being called by its product name.

Popular across generations, this doll—shaped to cling to a tree, as the names suggest, and often worn wrapped around the arm—was affectionately known as “Dakko-chan” (Hug-chan).

Perhaps due to the lasting impact of this nickname, the 21st-century revival adopted “Dakko-chan” as its official product name.

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In Japan’s period of rapid economic growth, people referred to three things that were popular among children as “Giants” and “Taihō.” These are also dishes commonly found on the family table—but what is the third one?

In Japan’s period of rapid economic growth, there’s a phrase that lines up several things that were popular with children.

Alongside the Yomiuri Giants baseball team, commonly called the “Giants,” and Taihō, a grand champion (yokozuna) in sumo, what is the third item? Hint: it’s a dish found on the family dining table.

It became beloved because its ingredients became inexpensive and reliably available.

The answer is “tamagoyaki” (Japanese rolled omelet).

It’s said that the sweet, thick omelet made with sugar began to be served at sushi restaurants and other eateries, and from there spread into households.

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What kind of occupation was a sandwich man?

Young people today would probably answer, “A popular comedian.” Those who are older may remember often seeing, in the years right after the war, “promoters wearing advertising boards on their front and back” on street corners.

You still occasionally see them today, and it’s an advertising method that allows you to display a sign in prime downtown locations—where ad costs are extremely high—by paying only for labor.

It’s said that people engaged in this kind of promotion as early as the late Meiji era, and by the Taisho era the term “sandwich man” had come into use.

Around the early Showa period, someone went around on a bicycle selling a certain creature. What was the creature?

When it comes to keeping animals, I think the modern image is strongly associated with getting them from a pet shop.

What kinds of creatures, once sold by bicycle—a sight that has faded with the times—were there? The hint is that they’re small enough to carry by bike, and you might also see them at festivals.

The answer is goldfish.

They were reportedly sold along with glass bowls for keeping them, accompanied by vendors’ distinctive, drawn-out calls.

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What was the thing that children in the Showa era typically watched while eating snacks?

Children’s play and pastimes have changed with the times, and some have gradually faded away.

Among the children’s amusements that have dwindled today, what was it that was especially popular during the Showa era to watch while snacking? Focus on the “while eating sweets” part—imagine not moving around, but gathering together and quietly watching.

If you know it, the answer might come to mind.

The answer is kamishibai (paper theater).

Everyone would gather when the kamishibai man arrived on his bicycle loaded with story boards and sweets, and the sight of children watching kamishibai with senbei rice crackers and mizuame syrup in hand is a scene that evokes nostalgia for the Showa period.

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