Like a scene from a classic film: Hunting for 1970s aesthetics in modern Japan
In Search of Showa-Era Cinematic Melancholy
I took my 1969 Pentax Spotmatic back home – to Tokyo.
For two weeks, I hunted for the visual nostalgia of the Showa era, which remains surprisingly present across Japan. Perhaps it was the bursting of the economic bubble at the turn of the 90s that froze development in certain neighbourhoods, preserving them in a visual time capsule. For an aesthetician like me, that is pure serendipity.
The Showa period (Shōwa, 1926–1989) was the reign of Emperor Hirohito, spanning Japan's post-war reconstruction, an unprecedented economic boom, and the rise of iconic 1970s and 80s pop culture. In photography and visual art, Showa nostalgia (Showa retro) refers to the gritty, warm, and cinematic atmosphere of the 1960s and 70s – a pre-digital time when neon signs, mechanical precision, analogue textures, and a subtle sense of melancholy defined the urban landscape.
Stepping out from the shadows of skyscrapers into a narrow yokocho alleyway, modern Tokyo vanishes. In its place: vintage kissaten coffee houses, weathered plastic signs, tangled overhead wiring, and dimly lit izakayas bathed in amber light, where time feels as though it stood still five decades ago.
Fully Mechanical, Completely Unforgiving
I packed nothing but film roll and didn't take a single digital frame on the entire trip. The Spotmatic is a purely mechanical machine; mine doesn't even have a battery for the light meter. Every frame required intuition, feeling, and complete trust in my own decisions. Just as it used to be. (Though I did double-check light readings with my trusty Sekonic, as even I can't gauge every lighting situation by eye alone).
Two vintage classics rotated on the front of the camera:
- Super-Takumar 55mm f/1.8: Crisp, sharp, and renders daylight with incredible warmth and flare.
- Super-Takumar 50mm f/1.4: High-aperture perfection for nocturnal adventures in low light.
The Slow Process Is Half the Pleasure
I brought a generous supply of 35mm rolls, ranging from grain-heavy black-and-white stock to cinematic color emulsions. And as an Art Director, I wasn't about to hand over the creative control at the finish line: all films were hand-developed and scanned by me upon returning home.
Whatever came out was raw and authentic. The final look remained entirely in my own hands.
Here is a first preview from the journey – a slice of 1970s Tokyo surviving right in the middle of today.
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