A roundup of nostalgic Showa-era home appliances, including rare ones you don’t see anymore!
Showa-era home appliances are full of warmth and personality that are completely different from modern conveniences.
From rotary-dial black telephones and wood-grain cathode-ray tube TVs to refrigerators that required you to make ice manually, these were products you grew attached to precisely because they took a bit of extra effort to use.
In this article, we’ll showcase a wide array of nostalgic Showa appliances.
From staple models that supported daily life back then to products with surprisingly unusual ideas when viewed today, we’ll present a rich roundup of Showa-era gadgets brimming with nostalgia and discovery.
- Nostalgic ice cream from the Showa era. From today’s classic staples to old-time favorites.
- Nostalgic foods of the Showa era. Let’s trace the memorable flavors and the memories they evoke.
- A must-see for the Showa generation! Nostalgic popular snacks from the old days
- Nostalgia revived with Heisei-era retro goods! A guide to items you’ll want to collect now
- Nostalgic cars from the Showa era: A special feature on memorable classic cars spotted on street corners
- [Nostalgic Showa Fashion] The changing trends that feel both nostalgic and fresh
- The Complete Guide to Showa-Era Toys: From Showa retro to toys still loved today
- [For Seniors] Nostalgic! Showa-Era Quizzes Recommended for Reminiscence Therapy
- [Showa TV Special] Beloved Classic Shows & Heroes of Our Memories
- A nostalgic feature on Showa-era magazines: looking back at the popular magazines of the time.
- [For Seniors] Recommended for Brain Training! Nostalgic Showa-Era Quiz
- [Nostalgic Memories] Popular Menu Items from Showa-Era School Lunches
- Heartwarming nostalgia: scenes of Showa-era streets that bring back memories.
A roundup of nostalgic Showa-era home appliances, including rare ones you don’t see anymore! (1–10)
electric washing machine
Home appliances for clean clothes! Presenting the electric washing machine.
Today’s washers are packed with features like adjustable washing power, drying functions, water-saving performance, self-cleaning, and smartphone connectivity.
In addition to top-loaders, front-loading machines are also popular.
Since you need to consider which features you actually need before buying, many people find the choice a bit daunting.
Electric washing machines first went on sale in 1930, but they were treated as luxury appliances, so most people couldn’t afford them.
Washing machines have taken root in our daily lives while changing form many times.
They’re wonderful appliances filled with the efforts and ideas of many people.
electric rice cooker
A home appliance for cooking rice! Introducing the electric rice kettle.
Today’s rice cookers on the market come loaded with various rice-cooking modes, cooking functions, and easy-care features.
When you visit an electronics store, many people are surprised by the sheer number of functions and the attention to the quality of the result.
The electric rice kettle was first released in 1924 and is said to be the predecessor of today’s widely used rice cookers.
Aiming to cook rice using electric power, it underwent repeated trial and error and evolved over time.
electric mosquito repellent
A summer staple! Let’s take a look at the electric mosquito repellent.
Many of us have been bitten by mosquitoes while relaxing on the veranda during summer evenings.
That’s when the electric mosquito repellent really proves its worth.
Following the widespread use of mosquito coils and repellent mats, the electric mosquito repellent was introduced with a new method: heating a dedicated liquid to vaporize it.
However, developing the wick that draws up the liquid involved a great deal of trial and error.
After extensive research and experimentation, electric mosquito repellents were launched in 1984 and have continued to be refined and loved ever since.
A roundup of nostalgic Showa-era home appliances, including rare ones you don’t see anymore! (11–20)
shoulder phone
The predecessor of smartphones and mobile phones! Introducing the Shoulder Phone.
The “Shoulder Phone.” The first generation seems to refer to a car phone that could also be used outside the vehicle, and it was reportedly released in September 1985.
It was popular at the time because, unusually, you could make calls even after getting out of the car.
Later, in 1988, a shoulder phone exclusively for mobile use was released, and it appears to have been mainly used by people who needed it for their jobs, such as construction workers and company executives.
Some of you may have actually used it for work.
CD player
Music that can empathize with any mood! For many of us, it’s an indispensable item, isn’t it? Today we’re introducing CD players.
The mention of a CD player might take some of you back to your youth.
Your first CD, the one you played over and over—so many memories come flooding back.
The first commercially released CD player in the world, it turns out, debuted in 1982.
It’s nostalgic to remember how many types were available depending on use—portable models, speaker-integrated units, deck types, and more.
digital video camera
Capture once-in-a-lifetime moments on video! Let us introduce digital video cameras.
These days, it’s easy to shoot videos and photos with a smartphone.
But before smartphones became widespread, people recorded footage with digital video cameras.
In 1966, a portable recording device with a separate camera unit and deck was released.
Later, around the 1980s, models that combined the camera and deck into a single unit appeared.
Some households may still have home videos preserved on film or cassette.
automatic bread maker
Bake bread at home with ease! Let me introduce an automatic bread maker.
These days, you can even bake bread with a rice cooker or other home appliances, but when automatic bread makers first hit the market, their groundbreaking features made them very popular.
As the name suggests, an automatic bread maker is a machine that bakes bread for you automatically—just add the ingredients and press a button.
They first went on sale in 1987.
Even today, various companies continue to release new models, refining and improving them through trial and error.
If you get the chance, be sure to take a look next time you stop by an electronics store.