1980 Important Events
- Take no Kozoku becomes popular
- Manzai Comedy becomes popular
- Kaienzai’s Okurukotoba is a hit
1981 Important Events
- The movie Uniko is released
- Akira Terao’s Ruby no Yubiwa (Ruby Ring) is a hit
- Kenichi Fukui wins a nobel prize for science
1982 Important Events
- The telephone card is born
- The 500 yen coin is first minted
- The Tohoku Joetsu (north bound) Bullet Train begins operation
1983 Important Events
- Sanrio Hello Kitty is appointed a UNICEF Children’s Ambassador
- The NHK drama Oshin is a hit
1984 Important Events
- The anime version of Oshin is released
- New 10,000, 5,000 and 1,000 yen notes are minted
- Namida no Request by the Checkers is a hit
1985 Important Events
- The Tsukuba International Science Expo is held
- The computer game boom begins
1986 Important Events
- ‘Pedestrian heaven’ (closing of streets to traffic) begins in Harajuku
- The idol group Onyanko Club becomes popular
1987 Important Events
- The national railway is broken up and privatized, the JR group is founded.
- Susumu Tonegawa wins the Nobel Prize for Physiology & Medicine
- Hideaki Tokunaga’s Kagayakinagara is a hit
1988 Important Events
- The Seto-Ohashi (Great Seto Bridge) connecting Mainland Japan with Shikoku is opened
- Paradise Galaxy by Hikari Genji is a hit. Roller Skates are in fashion
1989 Important Events
- The era changes from Showa to Heisei
- The consumption tax is introduced
- Hibari Misori’s Kawa no Nagare no Youni
