Shōwa is the longest era in Japanese history: from 25 December 1926 to 7 January 1989, sixty-two years and two weeks, though it is numbered to 64 because its first and last years each lasted only seven days. It contains the war, the occupation, the economic miracle and the bubble, which is why “Shōwa” in modern Japanese means roughly what “mid-century” means in English — a look, a mood, a kind of café. Coins minted in Shōwa 64 exist and are prized because the year was so short.