It’s weird being in your thirties (or thereabouts) in 2015. Kids today have no idea what a struggle it was for us growing up in the days before smartphone selfies, dumb internet trends, and myriad modern technological conveniences. Wait, what are we saying, it was absolutely awesome! For ours was a more innocent childhood, full of VHS tapes, talking on phones connected to the wall by a wire, and clunky dial-up internet that still felt like the greatest thing ever invented.

Japan’s 30s club is no different; they too are nostalgic for the relics of a simpler past. And in this article, we round up 22 nostalgic items that Japanese Twitter users say sum up their idyllic childhoods. But how many of them (if any) are the same as those we in the west enjoyed?

While some of the items on this list, like picture books that were also popular in the west, and nostalgic stationery are things we can also appreciate, some of the things that remind Japanese adults of their school days are going right over our heads! Check out this collection and see what you think!

▼ 1. Scented erasers

https://twitter.com/Chimney716/status/640527360677142528

▼ 2. Scented colour pens

https://twitter.com/hasukasandayo69/status/640696552000851968

▼ 3. Melon-flavoured ice cream that came in a little plastic melon (Looks tasty!)

▼ 4. Fried bread as part of the school lunch (Hmm, seems healthy!)

▼ 5. Difficult-to-eat roasted soybean flour covered bread (why couldn’t we have this in OUR school lunch?)

https://twitter.com/konkonsensei/status/640548421422575616

▼ 6. Alphabet soup (No Alphabetti Spaghetti?)

https://twitter.com/suzunonerena/status/504927130543603714

▼ 7. Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse, by Leo Lionni (Anyone remember this one?)

▼ 8. Sewing boxes! (For Home Ec?)

https://twitter.com/pi_r5/status/640527220327383040

▼ 9. When the boys used to put dragon keyrings on their randoseru backpacks (Such edgy elementary school students!)

https://twitter.com/konkonsensei/status/640548854228586500

▼ 10. A little house on legs in the school yard. We had to Google this one, but apparently it’s a “Stevenson Screen”, which according to Wikipedia is: “An enclosure to shield meteorological instruments against precipitation and direct heat radiation from outside sources, while still allowing air to circulate freely around them. It forms part of a standard weather station.” See, back in the ’80s we would have just had to keep on guessing!

https://twitter.com/yakkun99/status/640521662337675268

▼ 11. Discount movie coupons. We recognise Anpanman and Hello Kitty, and what’s that at the top? Oh, One Piece. Apparently this one is from only three years ago, which explains the presence of AKB48…

▼ 12. A little hat worn for P.E. Er… looks stylish. We think the white part is supposed to hang down over the back of your neck to prevent sunburn, but actually kids used to put them on like this with the bill at the top. Although they’ve actually just used a picture of a dorky hat. This Twitter post is a mess.

https://twitter.com/sunaysabu/status/640643588456484864

▼ 13. A picture book where you had to find hidden items. Kind of like Where’s Wally/Waldo, we guess.

▼ 14. Nope, we have no idea what this is. None at all. Help?

https://twitter.com/AnkoroMAMATALK/status/640529020958867457

▼ 15. Mechanical pencils made to look like real pencils. Huh.

https://twitter.com/ackdna/status/640588237363286016

▼ 16. Mathematics set. Complete with a little clock to learn how to tell the time!

▼ 17. Pencil cases made to look like little handbags.

https://twitter.com/pfxx9/status/428938752128327680

▼ 18. Questionable elementary school fashion. It kind of looks a little fussy and teenager-y to us. Maybe that’s because we were running around in grass-stained cutoff jeans and Sonic The Hedgehog T-shirts back when we were at little kid school.

https://twitter.com/QoOxTarO/status/640541264098668544

▼ 19. Friendship sheets! With space for your friend’s address, phone number, likes and dislikes, etc. If we had these at MY school, it probably would have descended into Burn Book territory. “Sarah Smythe: chews with her mouth open and stole my Polly Pocket. DO NOT TRUST HER.”

▼ 20. Masculine pencil cases that apparently all the boys had.

https://twitter.com/aiiabiib/status/640519418393399303

▼ 21. Clipboards for school trips! I think we’re all familiar with these.

https://twitter.com/ramu_1120/status/640529834641195008

▼ 22. A blackboard eraser cleaner. I’m pretty sure most schools in Japan still have these!

So, how do Japanese people’s nostalgic childhood items match up with your own? What items remind you of your childhood? And what in the name of Santa’s beard is number 14??? Let us know in the comments section below!

Source: Curazy
Main Image: Twitter/@AnkoroMAMATALK, @shin_a_letter, @Kou_kouu, @suzunonerena