Hirayama, the main character in the movie Perfect Days, is a public restroom cleaner in Tokyo. He is a man in his 50s who leads a regular life. Before going to work, he carefully chooses music that suits the mood of the day. Not a streaming app like Spotify, but a cassette tape. A young man in his 20s who happens to be riding in the car, and his girlfriend, also become interested in Hirayama’s cassette tapes. Later, while listening to Patti Smith’s cassette tape in Hirayama’s car, his junior’s girlfriend suddenly gives Hirayama a kiss(!).
Ah, director Wim Wenders… . What is a middle-aged man’s fantasy that doesn’t fit this era? What caught the eye of the cringeworthy reporter was the cassette tape collection that the main character in the movie had. It was full of great albums from the 1960s and 1970s, including Lou Reed, Velvet Underground, Nina Simone, and Animals.
“These days, cassette tapes make money. “It’s a trend.” In the movie, the Japanese record store owner said to the main character: It seems that cassette tapes are starting to gain popularity in Japan and other countries.
In Korea, cassette tapes became popular a little earlier than in Japan, around the time COVID-19 (novel coronavirus infection) broke out. It may be because of the drama ‘Reply 1988’, which once created a retro craze in Korea. At that time, the reporter was also fanatical about collecting cassette tapes. Whenever I went on a business trip to a local area, I would stop by an old music store whenever I had time. My wife was horrified to see the cassette tapes accumulating in the house in an instant.
We are already in a streaming world where music can be played in 0.5 seconds just by pressing the finger on the smartphone. But what is the charm of this inconvenient cassette tape?
First of all, it’s a taste of home cooking. The cassette tape inside the case can be held in one hand. If you shake it left or right, it makes a rattling sound. It’s like a tin case of candy that the main character’s younger brother carried around carefully in the movie ‘Grave of the Fireflies.’ Select the part you want to listen to between side A and side B, put it into your Walkman, close the cover, and press the play button firmly to make the motor spin. I like the mechanical analog feel, which is different from LPs that require quietness.
Second, it is cheap. In the 1990s, record stores replaced LPs with CDs and cassette tapes. As the reporter remembers, at the time, a pop tape was 5,000 won and a CD was 8,000 won. As a poor student, the reporter didn’t have many options. I could buy two tapes by adding a little money to the money I spent on CDs. A local music store I visited a few years ago was selling cassette tapes at the same prices as 30 years
The appeal of self-made mix tapes cannot be ignored either. Unlike CDs, cassette tapes allowed you to easily record the songs you wanted with just a few buttons. Like the ‘AWESOME MIX’ in the movie ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’, you were able to record your favorite songs on one tape. That thing was called a mixtape. There was a time when it was popular to gift tapes of your own selections to close people.
These days, I also carefully keep the soundtracks of director Wong Kar-wai’s film Chungking Express and director Iwai Shunji’s Love Letter, which have become classics. In particular, what caught the reporter’s eye were 1990s rock albums such as Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Radiohead, Oasis, and Blur. Listening to the cassette tape music of domestic indie bands such as Deli Spice, Sister Naver Shop, and Crying Nut reminds me of my miserable middle and high school days.
Looking at the growing popularity of cassette tapes despite these inconveniences, it seems that many people, not just reporters, sympathize with the primal charm of cassette tapes. Once again, I think of the main character in the movie Perfect Days, lying down on a tatami mat, inserting a cassette tape into a boom box, and listening to his favorite music. The word ‘happiness’ comes to mind. A reporter who collected cassette tapes a few years ago was also happy.
lost on us, reporters take turns writing about the little things that appeal to us.
A special charm in creating a personalized mixtape, as it reflected your taste and emotions. You could curate a mix to express feelings for someone, commemorate a special occasion, or simply share your musical journey with friends. Each time you hit play, it invited nostalgia, transporting you back to a specific time or memory associated with those songs.
Moreover, cassette tapes come with a tactile experience that digital media cannot replicate. The act of inserting the tape, pressing play, and even rewinding can evoke a sense of anticipation and engagement. It’s a deliberate process, unlike the instant gratification of music streaming, which can sometimes dilute the emotional connection to the music itself.
In essence, the revival of cassette tapes can be attributed to a mix of nostalgia, tactile interaction, and the joy of curating personal music collections. As described in Perfect Days, Hirayama’s affinity for cassette tapes serves as a metaphor for a simpler, yet more meaningful approach to life and art, showcasing how even in an age dominated by technology, there exists a longing for authenticity and the tangible. This phenomenon serves as a reminder that while technology evolves, the core human experience of music – connection, emotion, and memory – remains timeless.