Y2K Tokyo: 5 Nostalgic Spots Worth Visiting

Ah, nostalgia. The teenage dream, flip phones, charms, and more — wait, that was only a few decades ago? *wheezes in Gen Z elder* However old you are or aren’t feeling right now, you can (re)live that time with these Y2K-Heisei-inspired spots in Tokyo.

Pro tip: Join a Game Boy mod workshop for the ultimate nostalgic feels.

What is the Y2K/Heisei aesthetic?

Running from 1989 to 2019, the Heisei era in Japan was defined by technological advancement and pop culture that, for the first time, went global. And like most trends, it’s cycling back: the aesthetic having a resurgence today comes from the late ’90s through early 2000s.

This was the age of PlayStation, Game Boy, and Pokémon, and of Shibuya and Harajuku becoming known for iconic fashion subcultures like gyaru (bleached hair, tans, heavy makeup, loose socks) and decora (colorful character accessories).

The aesthetic is defined by its objects — Tamagotchi, flip phones with charms, purikura photo booths, chunky digital cameras.

Sanrio characters and shōjo manga like Sailor Moon also helped define this era’s visual world. Though sometimes defined as “retro”, it differs from Shōwa Retro, an older, more analog nostalgia. Here’s where you can step back in time, in Tokyo.

1. Top pick — RETOPO

At RETOPO, a two-floor café built entirely around Heisei-era nostalgia, you’ll step into a room straight out of a ’90s or 2000s teen’s dreams. Decorated with retro fashion, toys, shōjo manga, old magazines, and character goods, every corner pulls you back in time.

The main café sits upstairs, where entry (¥1,958 weekdays, ¥2,178 weekends/holidays) comes with a drink included, plus extras like cola floats, melon cream soda, or chocolate cake if you want to indulge further. Guests are also given a personalized fortune letter and a retro-style profile page to fill in.

For the full effect, you can borrow a flip phone or a decked-out digital camera to snap grainy, early-2000s-style photos, which you can then transfer to your more modern phone.

Downstairs, the vibe shifts: less café, more nostalgia museum. Think shelves stuffed with Tamagotchis, Sylvanian Families, plushies, retro consoles, and even a Furby, while a wall of pink school lockers — decked out with keychains, photos, and trinkets — recreates exactly what a Japanese high schooler’s locker looked like back then.

Note: RETOPO does not accept reservations, so expect to wait if you’re going on a weekend.

RETOPO

Address:3-1-10 1F The Horizon, Shibuya, Tokyo

Hours:11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mon-Sun

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2. Y!Y! Hands

Get creative and make your own Y2K-inspired accessories at Y!Y! Hands in Shinjuku. At this workshop — which has branches across the city — you can make everything from keychains to phone cases. In the Shinjuku store that we visited, we made our own personalized phone case.

Prices start at ¥2,200 for 10g of beads, and you need to pay ¥100 extra for a clear phone case (¥500 more for a colored one). Trust us, you’ll probably spend a while just browsing all the beads. There were so many cute ones to choose from, including big embossed letters, tropical flowers, and lots of glitter hearts. You can just about create any aesthetic you can think of, from rock to goth to kawaii.

And, the workshop setting? It feels just like stepping into your teenage bedroom, with an actual bed in the room where you can take photos. Posters adorn the wall and you can even wear big fluffy strawberry slippers as you make your phone case.

After making your case, you can customize the label so it feels like a cute delivery and voila! You have a new phone case that any Tokyo girl from the 2000s would be envious of.

Y!Y! Hands

Address:2-18-5, 402 Showa Building, Yoyogi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Hours:11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mon-Sun

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3. Togenkyo

Tucked away on Kōenji’s Etoile Street, Togenkyo feels like stepping inside a treasure box — and a fitting stop for anyone chasing Heisei-era nostalgia. The shop is packed floor-to-ceiling with handmade accessories and trinkets, living up to its concept of “a world unlike anything else” (比べる物のない世界). Nearly everything is handmade or remade by the shop’s artists, often with custom parts rather than store-bought pieces.

Across two floors, shelves overflow with necklaces, earrings, rings, bracelets, keychains, and more, decorated in beads, charms, and rhinestones that channel the bold maximalism of Y2K and Heisei-era Japanese fashion. Quirky designs — from seals to gyoza dumplings — are among the most popular, and since everything is handmade, no two finds are ever quite the same.

A necklace decorated in gel and sparkling gems makes for one of the shop’s standout souvenirs. Whether you’re after a statement piece or just want to browse, Togenkyo is worth a visit for the creativity packed into every corner alone.

Togenkyo

Address:166-0003 Koenji-minami, Suginami-ku, Tokyo

Hours:12 p.m. to 8 p.m. Mon-Sun

Admission:Free

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4. Tamagotchi Factory

Everyone’s favorite (or forgotten) virtual pet that took over the late ’90s and early 2000s: Tamagotchi, the little creatures you had to care for, day and night. In recent years, the egg-shaped digital keychains have made a comeback.

Tamagotchi characters always stayed popular in Japan, and are even more so now with the opening of the Tamagotchi Factory in Harajuku’s snazzy complex Harakado, back in 2025. At this gift shop, you can buy exclusive goods of some of your favorite Tamagotchi characters — accessories, stationery, and of course, the virtual Tamagotchi themselves.

You can interact with the world, touching the screens to make sure the busy Tamagotchi workers get some rest from their day in the factory. There’s even a customization station where you can make your own personal keychain or fill a small bottle with your favorite Tamagotchi characters.

Tamagotchi Factory

Address:Tokyu Plaza Harajuku Harakado, 6-31-21 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Hours:11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Admission:Free

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5. Purikura booths

By far, this is the most popular Heisei-coded activity. Purikura, a type of photo booth, has been a mainstay in Japan’s pop culture since the late ’90s — with its cute custom stickers and beautifying effects. You’ll see high schoolers curling their hair and reapplying their makeup in the dedicated beauty stations.

Popular with friends and couples alike, each purikura experience is different, with different themes (you’ll sometimes find Hello Kitty or other character stickers) and different camera angles. One thing stays the same though: you’ll look a bit “uncanny valley”, but that’s part of the charm.

Normally costing ¥300 to ¥500, you’ll find purikura booths mainly on a dedicated floor in game centers — and nowadays, your photos can be sent straight to your phone digitally, not just printed.

Honorable mentions

Need some more inspiration? Here are a few other ideas.

Shopping

You can find Heisei-inspired clothes in Shibuya 109 (see chain stores like WeGo and Spinns) and LaForet.

Secondhand stores such as Kinji and Second Street also tend to stock items, with Kinji even having its own dedicated section, so you know exactly where to rummage.

Other neighborhoods like Shimokitazawa, Kōenji, and Kichijōji also have some good thrift shops where you can find old-school styles. For the Y2K aesthetic, we personally recommend going to WeGo Vintage in Shimokitazawa.

Experiences

There are other ways you can throw yourself back to this era. One is to take part in a Game Boy mod workshop, where you can customize your own Game Boy (Original, Advance or SP), giving it a new lease of life with a shell and buttons of your choice.

While we do our best to ensure it’s correct, information is subject to change.