Miss 2022? Buy last year’s air online from Japan

January 3, 2023

Although we’ve entered 2023, those who really miss 2022 can purchase last year’s air online.

Sellers are listing “vintage air” encased in plastic bags and bottles on Mercari, an online Japanese flea market, reports SoraNews24. Ranging from as low as $10 to over $100 a puff, those desiring a whiff of the past have a series of dubiously packaged options available to them.

The selling and purchasing of air from the past isn’t new to Japanese consumers.

In 2019, cans of “Air of Heisei” were sold for 1,080 yen (approximately $8) to commemorate the change of the Japanese era from Heisei to Reiwa.

Mimicking the idea, online retailers began selling their own Heisei air via unique means. Sellers joining the trend after the Heisei era had already ended resorted to listing air trapped in packaging materials, such as airbags and bubble wrap.

The trend continued into 2021, with sellers offering “Air of 2020.”

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Although the purpose of buying and selling air is not entirely clear, the entertaining act has become a yearly tradition for those who frequent the online flea market.

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