It’s no secret that Tokyo has changed a lot since the Heisei era. It’s not just the people—it’s the culture, too.

In the Heisei era, Shibuya was a sacred place for gals. They’d meet up at Center Gai and dance Para Para, or go to the famous 109 building to shop for clothes and accessories. The area had a lot of brand shops that sold things like CD’s from Ayumi Hamasaki and Namie Amuro who were huge icons of Heisei Gyaru culture.

But now? It’s a different story. Shibuya is just a wasteland. Many prominent clubs shut down, there are really no more gals (except on social media), and no more reason to go there as a gal yourself.

With the spread of smartphones and social media, it’s moved from the streets to the Internet. It’s rare for Reiwa gals to visit Shibuya Center Gai, but they can interact online. Heisei gals had to prove they were Gyaru. For example, if you met someone in Center Gai, you had to be cool in terms of appearance and mind. For example, you could dance Para Para well. This is proof that you’re very Gyaru! Nowadays? Well… maybe if they know how to take selfies well.

The Reiwa era has changed everything, and the most obvious example is the fact that Shibuya is no longer a place where you can meet people in person. That’s because smartphones have made it possible for people to interact online instead, and thanks to social media, there are no more brand shops like those found in Heisei Gyaru culture. Reiwa gals rely on mass-produced fashion versus Heisei gals that had Gyaru brand shops that are now extinct. They’ll just go into any store and buy whatever is popular at the moment because they don’t know any better—and why would they? Unfortunately (and at times I’d like to think, rather, fortunately), a lot of what made Gyaru what it was got lost when SNS culture took over.

And so there are fewer opportunities for gals to meet each other and share their love of fashion like they used to… Really, it makes you wonder what’s ever going to be left of Gyaru culture at this point.