Good Morning
In the mornings, I woke up to the sun shining and the sounds of my alarm clock bell ringing, birds chirping, and milk and newspaper deliveries. I washed my face and brushed my teeth with well water. It was a good morning start to my daily life.
Memories of Home
My home was a place to live everyday life. I lived in a home with a tile and thatched roof, porch, dirt floor, and clay wall.
Memories of School
When I was in elementary school, school desks and chairs were made of wood. The school building, floors, and classroom corridors were also made of wood. Cleaning the floors every day was hard work.
Nostalgic School Supplies
A school bag that I bought when I entered elementary school. The textbook I got for the first time. Stationery such as pencils, pencil cases, and crayons. I have a lot of memories of my elementary school days.
Nostalgic Toys
Sword fighting, tag, “kugisashi” (game with nails), “menko” (card game). The children enjoyed playing with things around them. The toys were made of tin and celluloid. The texture is also nostalgic.
Memories of Cooked Rice
We put firewood in the “kamado” (traditional stove) and cooked rice in an iron cooker, using bamboo blower to increase the fire. The rice cooked in the kamado was delicious. It was a tool we used everyday, along with a cutting board with legs and a bonito shaver.
Memories of Cleaning and Washing
Daily washing with a tub and a washboard was a lot of hard work. Around 1955, the electric washing machine emerged and became a highly desired household item.
Memories of Raising Children
Childbirth with a midwife. A baby carriage with big wheels. A rattle made of celluloid. Cloth diapers. Items for raising children have changed little by little with time.
Memories of Sake and Tabacco
The price of cigarettes went up with the times. Looking back at that price, the memories seem to come back to life.
Fashionable
The trends of the times, such as types of lotion and whitening powder, and be seen from the cosmetic packaging.
Electrical Appliances
Around 1955, electrical appliances began to become in homes. TVs, electric washing machines that eased the heavy labor of using washboards, refrigerators, rice cookers, and blenders became commonly used and were highly desired items.
Town Scenery
Unpaved roads, wooden telephone poles, enamel signs on the walls, streetlights illuminating the night roads, red mailboxes and payphones adorned the cityscape.
Memories of a Candy Store
A candy store that everyone used to go to when they were young. There were many sweets and toys that you could buy for 10 yen.
Nostalgic Barber Shop
The magical pole that spins around and around at the entrance door was characteristic of the barbershops. The unique barbershop chairs were also heavy and could be reclined.
Summer Life
In the hot summer, unlike now, there was no air conditioning. One had to creatively figure out how to manage the hot summer. “Uchiwa” (handheld fans) and electric fans that helped create a breeze. Cool glass tableware. We took cold baths in a wooden tub.
Preparing for Winter
Rather than warming the entire room, it was common to use tools that warm the hands and feet. Braziers, hot water bottles, warmers, and other supplies. Charcoal, charcoal briquettes, and hot water were used as sources of heat.
Living in Wartime
Living in the midst of the war was very difficult. It was a time of poverty and fear of air raids and lack of food. Food, clothing, etc. were rationed, and we lived familiar with air raids.
Small Pieces of Living
Consumables used in daily life. Although they were easily thrown away, there are times when memories are still alive in such small fragments.