SONY celebrates the WALKMAN's 40th birthday with nostalgic retrospective exhibition

back in july 1st, 1979, SONY debuted the WALKMAN®, introducing to the world a new way to enjoy high-quality music, anywhere, anytime. the series of portable media players began with a cassette player envisioned by SONY’s cofounder masaru ibuka, who thought the existing portable player was cumbersome and expensive. from there, the japanese company sold over 400 million units around the world.

to celebrate the WALKMAN 40th anniversary, SONY has opened an exhibition in tokyo’s bustling ginza district.

all images courtesy of SONY

titled #009 WALKMAN IN THE PARK 40 years since the day the music walked, the exhibition focuses on the people for whom the WALKMAN has been a part of their everyday life. the show, which is divided into two parts, begins with ‘my story, my walkman’ — sharing walkman episodes from the lives of 40 celebrities, and continues with the ‘walkman wall’, featuring around 230 versions of the WALKMAN throughout its 40-year history. from the nostalgic older models, all the way up to the latest models, the exhibit allows visitors to take in the changes in designs, specifications, and media formats over the years.

overturning the common conception at the time that music was something to be enjoyed indoors, the walkman blazed a new trail into personalized experiences, much more common today with music streaming services and mobile devices. the exhibition program celebrates the original experience by sharing various changes the walkman has undergone through technological advancements and playful imagination over the years.

project info: 

duration: july 1 (mon) – september 1 (sun), 2019, free admission
open hours: 10:00 – 20:00
venue: ginza sony park, gl/ground level – b4/basement 4
url: https://www.ginzasonypark.jp/e/program/015/
organizer: ginza sony park, sony home entertainment & sound products inc.