"Give Me Chocolate": Chewing Gum and the Post-War Cultural Shock Few items symbolize the immediate post-war period in Japan as vividly as chewing gum.

In postwar Japan, chewing gum arrived with American GIs: first a shock, then a bridge. Children reached for it in hunger, elders frowned at its restless chewing, yet gum slowly reshaped habits, turning a former “enemy” novelty into part of everyday life.

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The Emperor’s Trust The life of Erwin von Baelz in Japan (3)

By the 1890s, Baelz was treating the frail Crown Prince and later the Empress Dowager, earning rare trust from the Emperor. His work placed him at the center of court life and made him a key figure in Japan’s modern era.

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The Rickshaw Puller Experiment The life of Erwin von Baelz in Japan (2)

Baelz’s study of rickshaw pullers overturned Western beliefs about diet and strength. Watching plant‑powered workers outlast meat‑fed ones, he championed Japan’s traditional foods and reshaped ideas about endurance, nutrition, and daily labor.

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The Taste of Celebration: Inari Sushi For many Japanese people growing up in the Showa era, the scent of vinegar and sweet simmered tofu is inextricably linked to the excitement of special occasions.

Inari sushi once defined the joy of Showa‑era special days—the aroma, the care, the quiet love behind each tofu pouch. This passage introduces those memories, from handmade devotion to the bittersweet shift toward modern convenience.

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