Sazae-san
Less in the realm of cute are cartoon 'people', such as Sazae-san, Chibi Maruko and Crayon Shin-chan. These characters and their families represent different takes on Japanese life and culture. They encapsulate the generational changes of the postwar years as well as any sociological study could do. Perhaps the best-loved and certainly the longest-running cartoon series is Sazae-san, shown at 6:30 on Sunday evenings. Sazae (a type of shellfish - like all the characters, her name is related to the sea) is a 23-year old housewife who lives with her parents, younger brother and sister, husband and baby son.At home, Sazae is surrounded by the usual electrical appliances, drawn to resemble the latest models by Toshiba, the show's sponsor! But otherwise life is firmly rooted in a world that is no more than a fading memory for today's Japanese. The characters were created in a comic book (right) by manga artist Hasegawa Machiko (1920~92) shortly after World War II and have been on TV since 1969. Hasegawa was something of a recluse and the darker side of life in postwar Japan was part of her work.

But modern-day problems rarely intrude into the TV show and key features are the opening credits showing various scenic spots around the country and the timely inclusion of seasonal and festive elements. This together with the always-polite language of the characters, makes the show excellent for students of Japan's language and culture. For Japanese, Sazae-san - like the Tora-san movie series - provides a chance to shake off the worries of work and school and soak in the warm glow of nostalgia.