What is Japan’s Showa retro aesthetic, and why is it all the rage?

When Japan shut its borders during the Covid-19 pandemic, expats and long-time friends Hillary Hewins and Blake Piper started spending their weekends in Atami, a small seaside city just a 40-minute bullet train ride from their adopted home of Tokyo. Known during the 17th and 18th centuries for its soothing hot springs, Atami steadily surged in popularity during the four decades after World War II as a destination for Japanese holidaymakers. Sprawling concrete resorts opened, and the city centre...