Bask in the glory of Japanese ’80s-era cafes with bath salts that smell like dessert!

With a “retro boom” happening in Japan, it’s no surprise that ‘80’s era cafes are so en vogue that even Starbucks jumped on the retro wagon a while back. Usually referred to as “kissaten”, these cafes sold desserts like melon cream soda floats, caramel pudding, and whipped cream-topped gelatin, all of which are considered “retro” foods by the kids these days.

Maybe that news makes you feel old, but if it does, just soak your old bones in the new Kissaten Bath Powder. There are six varieties based on kissaten dessert classics: Melon Soda, Peach Gelatin, Caramel Pudding, Coffee Gelatin, Pancakes, and Fruit Parfait. Each of the six varieties activates the smell and color of one of these delicious favorites so you can bathe, literally, in nostalgia for the ’80s.

The packaging, which comes in solid colors with a retro-style font and old-school border, gives off total Showa-era (1926-1989) vibes, and each one even has a little anecdote on the back that you can read to get into the spirit. For example, the Melon Soda one says,

“It’s the aroma of the melon soda that you and your boyfriend drank at the cafe where you met up for your first date.”

Just the idea of tasting the sweet and tart flavor of a melon soda float as you feel the stirrings of first love–it might send you right back in time, even if you weren’t alive in the heyday of kissaten.

▼ The promotional material even looks like a menu.

Peach gelatin you and your grandma shared, the coffee gelatin you enjoyed on a relaxing day, the fruit parfait you and your mom ate on the way home from the department store…The stories all have something human about them, so much so that they might even ring a bell for some!

Each package of Kissaten Bath Powder will sell for 418 yen (US$3.12), but they aren’t expected to be fully released until the end of June. You can, however, place preorders for here at the T’s Factory Online storefront on Yahoo! Japan Shopping.

Also releasing around the same time are embroidered Retro Cafe badges featuring the same nostalgic treats and a few more. There are 12 varieties in total, sold in blind boxes (which means you don’t know which badge is inside) for 660 yen each. They are also currently available for preorder from T’s Factory Online.

If all this talk of retro kissaten desserts has got you nostalgic, why not pick some up and see how the smells make you feel? And if all it did was make you hungry, don’t worry; we’ve got suggestions. Try this perfect caramel pudding, this huge melon soda float, or this exquisite coffee jelly.

Source, images: PR Times
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[ Read in Japanese ]