As 2025 draws to a close, many in Japan are reflecting on the Heisei Era (1989-2019), which is gaining popularity among youth overshadowed by its trendier predecessor. In Shibuya’s San-chome neighborhood, teen girls flock to the cafe Retopo after school to browse gyaru fashion magazines, sip ramune cream sodas, and take selfies on bedazzled flip phones. This scene evokes the late 1990s or early 2000s, though the cafe opened only in November 2024 amid rising nostalgia for trends they never experienced firsthand.
Tucked next to a vinyl record store on a quiet street in Shibuya’s San-chome neighborhood, the cafe Retopo draws hordes of teen girls after school. They pore over gyaru fashion magazines, sip ramune cream sodas, and snap selfies on bedazzled flip phones, recreating a vibe from the late 1990s or early 2000s. Yet the cafe opened in November 2024, fueled by growing hype and nostalgia among a generation that missed those trends the first time around.
This phenomenon marks the rise of the Heisei Retro boom, evolving from earlier fascination with Showa Era (1926-89) elements like kissaten cafes and city pop. Heisei Retro is glossier, more colorful, and draws from the more recent Heisei period (1989-2019), often remembered for economic stagnation and disasters but now celebrated by youth for its 'messy, blingy, over the top' style in fashion and culture.
According to the Japan Times on December 6, 2025, this trend is captivating Gen Z, offering a way to engage with past eras they never lived through. Cafe operators note that visitors are primarily those unfamiliar with the originals, highlighting a fresh form of nostalgia. The shift underscores Japan's evolving pop culture, reinterpreting history in contemporary ways.