all very good points! My Japanese teacher was very vague about the 80's-90's recession, she had immigrated to the USA back in the 60's, though, so she had a very different perspective. I do recall that Sylvanian Families were insanely popular there!!!
80s was prosperous in japan... 90s was when the bubble burst, and the recession.
I think in a lot of ways they are still dealing with aspects of this whole process now. The speed with which Japan boomed and then burst created a lot of reaction. But I could just be biased because my course convener for the class I teach is an expert on this stuff and has published lots of articles on postwar Japan, including one on the bubble. And being my convener, it's on their reading list, so I have to read it. I do remember some of the Japanese companies pulling out back home, though. My mother worked mostly for Omron and Ricoh staff and management, but I am not sure either is still in that area now.
Japanese TRU are an experience. The toys they have and privelege are so different from what I expect to see in Europe. I really think the Takara line just got swallowed up in other, bigger stuff. Hello Kitty was a big deal already back then. I had pencil cases in the late 1980s/early 90s which were gifts from mum's students before anyone here really knew what Hello Kitty was. Still have them somewhere. A small black one and a small red one with a tartan inlay, both metal. I can see how a line like Takara would not have stood out enough to be profitable among more established competition.
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