#1990s Japan

[catvcr]

JR東海 X'MAS EXPRESS CMs

[coverteyes]

How did one say, “I love you” in 1990s Japan? It could be done in just five digits: 14106. Missing a sweetheart? Try 3341.

Those were the days when combinations of numbers could convey one’s innermost feelings. The must-have gadget of the time was a variety of pager known as the Pocket Bell.

Schoolgirls in particular began referring to their berutomo (bell friends). Some berutomo would never even meet in person and only knew each other’s pager numbers, not their names. It was an embryonic form of social media. Users would use the keypads on public phones to text each other strings of numbers every day. “What are you doing?” was 724106, “work” was 4510 and “good night” was 0833.

In some research for a WIP, I came across this article that gave some great context about how important pagers were to Hitomi and her friends in 1990s Japan. Where I grew up, only doctors and nurses had a pager, but I'm very charmed by the thought that the average Japanese teenager had one and used such a fun little code to send messages to one another.

I wonder what Allen's pager says, hmmmm??

[zegalba]

Fruit-Shaped Bus Stops (1990) Location: Nagasaki, Japan

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[inthedarktrees]

A mock funeral held for Laura Palmer in Tokyo on February 23, 1992.

[yodaprod]

Tokyo (1997)

[miamaimania]

"Terraced Dreams" by Tadao Ando at Awaji Yumebutai, 1995-2000.

[earlicking]

Twin Peaks pilot japanese VHS

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Anna Sui illustration by Hiroshi Tanabe ♡

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Maison Hermès (1998-2001) in Tokyo, Japan, by Renzo Paino

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[evan-collins90]

Bar 'FAKE' - Motomachi-dori Chuo-Ku Kobe, Japan (1997)

Designed by Tsuyoshi Mendori

Scanned from 'Shop Design Series - Design Elements 2: in Bars and Restaurants' (2001)

[zegalba]

Six Magazine by Comme des Garçons (1990)

[2001hz]

Assortment of MSX Japanese Magazine Covers (1990-1992) Illustrations By: Naoyuki Katō

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Illustrations from Tamagotchi Research Guide

[yodaprod]

90s Tokyo

Source: Youtube/The Kinolibrary