The results of a survey on Heisei Retro, which showed that the recognition rate of Heisei Retro reached 90.11 TP4T, also reveals the trend of “emo consumption,” especially among Generation Z.
Heisei Retro: Recognition Rate Surpasses 90% - Not Just “Nostalgic,” but a Trend That Sells!
Emo consumption“ driven by Generation Z, in which about half of the respondents are interested in and involved in purchasing products.
(Head office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President: Keita Saito), a comprehensive marketing research company, conducted an online survey of 1,054 female respondents aged 13-39 nationwide on "The Latest Trend of Emoi-ness x Nostalgia: The Latest Trend Generating Empathy for Heisei Retro". The survey was conducted among 1,054 women aged 13-39 nationwide. The survey period was from March 18 to March 23, 2026.
Findings from the survey results
Findings1
Heisei Retro" is widely recognized at a high level of awareness, with about half of respondents interested in and involved in purchasing the product.
The recognition rate of "Heisei Retro" is extremely high at 90.1%, indicating that it is widely accepted regardless of age or whether or not the respondents have children. In addition, 47.3%, or about half of the respondents have purchased or are interested in viewing related products, indicating that the trend goes beyond mere recognition. The purchase experience rate was 19.6% for teens and 19.4% for 20s, higher than that of 30s (14.5%), indicating that younger generations are more likely to take action.
Findings2
Enjoyment of Heisei Retro is centered on "collect and experience" behavior, which evolves into sharing and exchange behavior.
In terms of enjoying Heisei Retro, "messing around" was the most popular activity (70.1%), followed by "listening to Heisei J-POP" (41.7%) and "sticker book/silk activity" (39.5%). In sticker activities, "enjoying the collecting itself" and "making a sticker book" were high at 63.5% and 62.4%, respectively, while exchanging with friends (57.1%) and with family (50.0%) were prominent among teens and those with children. In addition to personal consumption, Heisei Retro is enjoyed as a communicative behavior.
Findings3
Heisei Retro" is a trend that is both emo and nostalgic and generates empathy across generations.
The most common image of Heisei Retro is “nostalgia” (61.9%), followed by "emo" (46.7%) and "immersed in memories" (35.7%). (33.8%), while those in their 30s emphasized the emotional value associated with their own experiences, such as "nostalgia" (72.1%) and "being immersed in memories" (46.4%). Thus, Heisei Retro is considered to be a major factor in its popularity, as it combines "sensitivity" and "nostalgia" with the common emotion of "emoi-oi," creating empathy that transcends generations.
Findings4
The use of Heisei Retro in daily consumer goods is effective in terms of visual elements with a Heisei feel. However, differences in response are seen by category.
In packaging, "character collaboration" (40.1%) and "reprinted edition" (38.8%) were favored, with elements that intuitively convey a Heisei-like quality increasing purchase intention. In the food and beverage category, products that evoke the experiential nature and trends of the time, such as "candy" (41.0%) and "shaken can jelly drink" (38.3%), were selected. On the other hand, "nothing in particular" was selected by 44.8% for the Heisei make-up, with interest skewed mainly toward teenagers, indicating a difference in validity by category.
Main findings
(1) Awareness of and involvement in "Heisei Retro
The overall recognition rate of "Heisei Retro" is high at 90.11 TP4T, indicating that it has penetrated a wide range of people. The "interested" group ("have purchased related products" + "watching with interest") accounted for 47.31 TP4T of the total, with about half of the respondents showing active interest in Heisei Retro. By age, the purchase experience rates for those in their teens and twenties were 19.61 TP4T and 19.41 TP4T, respectively, higher than those for those in their thirties (14.51 TP4T), indicating a trend toward actual purchase behavior among younger respondents. There was no significant difference in awareness or interest depending on whether the respondents had children or not, indicating that Heisei Retro is a trend that is attracting widespread interest among both the child-rearing and nonchild-rearing generations.
(2) Actual purchase, use, and enjoyment of "Heisei Retro".
Gacha-gacha" (70.11 TP4T) was the most popular way to enjoy Heisei retro, followed by "listening to Heisei J-POP" (41.71 TP4T) and "sticker book/silkbook" (39.51 TP4T). By age group, teens tended to be more interested in fashion and SNS-related items such as "Purikura," "loose socks," "digital camera," "mini-skirts," and "thick-soled shoes" than those in their 20s and 30s, indicating that they are actively adopting Heisei culture as something new. On the other hand, respondents in their 30s selected "sticker books/silkbooks" and "Narumiya characters" more frequently, showing a strong tendency to be nostalgic for their own childhood. Those with children selected "sticker books/silkbooks" (53.51 TP4T) and "Narumiya characters" (32.61 TP4T) more frequently, suggesting that they may be using Heisei Retro as a communication tool with their children.
(3) Specific actions of the silviculture (seal activity)
The most popular activities for enjoying stickers were "enjoying collecting stickers" (63.51 TP4T), "making a sticker book" (62.41 TP4T), and "appreciating my sticker collection" (57.41 TP4T). Those in their 30s and those with children showed higher percentages for "exchanging stickers with family (children, etc.)" at 35.61 TP4T and 50.01 TP4T respectively, indicating that they enjoy sticker activities as a communication tool between parents and children. The purchase group was interested in all the items. The purchasing group scored higher than the interested group in all items, indicating that the group that actually purchases the product enjoys the product in a variety of ways.
4) Type/pattern of stickers being collected
The most popular types of stickers collected are stickers with a three-dimensional feel and texture, such as "Bonbon Drop Stickers" (69.0%), "Punipuni-Dimensional Stickers" (54.8%), and "Uruchiru Stickers" (46.2%). In terms of patterns, "characters" (81.2%) dominate, followed by "animals" (47.2%), "sweets" and "food" (32.0% each). 10s are interested in new types of stickers such as "water stickers" (51.4%), while 20s are interested in "illustrated book stickers" (25.9%) and "water stickers" (25.9%). The 20s are particularly interested in "illustrated book stickers" (25.9%). The purchasing group scored higher than the overall group for both types and patterns, indicating that the higher the level of involvement in sticker collecting, the more diverse the stickers they tend to collect.
(5) Image/impression of "Heisei Retro
The most common image held by respondents of Heisei Retro is "feeling nostalgia" (61.9%), followed by "emo" (46.7%) and "immersed in memories" (35.7%). By age group, teenagers were more likely than the overall respondents to find Heisei Retro fresh and trendy: "Emo" (58.01 TP4T), "Looks good on SNS" (38.91 TP4T), "Fashionable" (33.81 TP4T), and "Feels new" (8.01 TP4T). In their 30s, "feeling nostalgia" (72.11 TP4T), "being immersed in memories" (46.41 TP4T), and "being able to empathize" (21.91 TP4T) were higher, indicating that they find emotional value in the retro Heisei era, which is connected to their own experiences. Emotional" scored high for all ages, suggesting that the newness of the younger generation and the nostalgia of those in their 30s are linked by the common emotion of "emo".
(6) Purchase intention for packages with "Heisei Retro" elements
The most likely to purchase Heisei-retro style packages are "character collaboration packages" (40.1%), "reprint packages" (38.8%), and "Heisei-style retro font/design packages" (31.0%). Respondents in their 30s and those with children selected "reprinted packages" at 48.41 TP4T and 46.11 TP4T, respectively, indicating a high affinity for packages familiar from the past. The purchasing group showed a high affinity for packages familiar to them from the past. The purchasing group was much higher than the overall group for all items, and "nothing in particular" was low at 3.71 TP4T, indicating that the higher the level of involvement with Heisei Retro, the more sensitive the response to the package design.
7) "Heisei Makeup" that I want to try and incorporate into my work.
The most popular Heisei make-up styles were "lip gloss" (20.2%), "lame/glitter" (19.0%), and "fake eyelashes" (16.8%), but many respondents chose "nothing in particular" (44.8%), indicating that interest in Heisei make-up is limited. The 30s and those with children scored low overall, with more than half of them selecting "nothing in particular" at 51.61 TP4T and 52.81 TP4T, respectively, indicating limited interest in Heisei Makeup among younger generations. Interest in Heisei Makeup is skewed toward younger age groups. Although the scores of the purchasing and interest groups are higher than the overall, the target group for Heisei Make-up tends to be more limited to younger people compared to other categories.
(8) "Heisei Retro" style food and beverages to be purchased
The top retro-style food and beverage items that respondents would like to buy are "candy" (41.0%), "jelly drinks in cans that you shake" (38.3%), "paper-packaged drinks that you insert a straw into" (35.4%) and "snacks that crackle in your mouth" (35.0%). Interest in hands-on, entertaining products was strong among teens (47.71 TP4T), as were interest in "candy" (44.61 TP4T), "shaken canned jelly drinks" (44.61 TP4T), and "chocolate fondue" (31.31 TP4T). The 30s showed high purchase intentions for sweets popular in the Heisei era, such as nata de coco (38.51 TP4T) and tiramisu (28.21 TP4T). The purchasing group exceeded the overall group in all categories, with only 2.11 TP4T selecting "nothing in particular," indicating that those with a higher level of involvement in Heisei Retro show a greater willingness to purchase a wider range of food categories.
The survey found that "Heisei Retro" is a trend that is widely popular, especially among young people, and that it is a trend that leads to consumption, with about half of the respondents having interest in or experience purchasing related products. The popularity of "Heisei Retro" can be attributed to the coexistence of the "emo" feeling of teens and the "nostalgia" of 30-somethings, and the fact that it generates empathy across generations.
The above is an excerpt from our survey on attitudes toward Heisei Retro.
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Survey Summary
Survey area: All over Japan
Surveyed: Women aged 13-39
Sample size: 1,054 samples
Survey period: March 18 - March 23, 2026
Survey method: LINE Research Platform usage survey
The copyright of the report is owned by Japan Information Co.
According to a survey by Japan Information Co.
Survey on Awareness of Heisei Retro - The Latest Trend of Emo and Nostalgia Generates Sympathy
*Information is current at the time of publication.
