Sales of aloha shirts from Sendai that are made of recycled kimono are surging among tourists at a duty-free shop in Narita Airport thanks to their uniquely Japanese designs.
The shirts, called Samurai Aloha — which is also the name of their manufacturer based in Sendai — were launched in the hopes of helping the area recover from the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. Coupled with strong online sales, the company said now is a good time to tap into the purchasing power of overseas customers because of the weak yen.
At the airport’s Terminal 2, after passing through the security check for international departures, the duty-free floor is lined with luxury brand boutiques such as Hermes and Gucci. The small pop-up store for Samurai Aloha sits in a corner of the "Narita 5th Avenue" shopping area.