Choichiro Motoyama, 89, is a pioneering Japanese retailer who has brought some of the most famous European fashion brands to the Far East. In the 1960s, he was the first to import Gucci, Hermes, Loewe, Ferragamo, and then later Etro, to Japan. Through constant study and travels, Motoyama developed an eye for stylish luxury goods and he filled his stores with design treasures such as Baccarat and Lalique crystal accessories, Patek Phillipe watches and Asprey jewelery. He relentlessly advocated elegance and is widely known as the man responsible for creating the demand and subsequent boom for foreign luxury goods in Asia. During the 1980s, when Japan was in its economic bubble heyday, Motoyama had more than 30 boutiques in Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Hawaii and Guam. However, when the fashion houses he stocked opened their own branches in East Asia, Motoyama decided to shutter most of his stores for good. Today only three shops remain, including the flagship Sun Motoyama in Tokyo's Ginza district. But Motoyama's love of good aesthetics is strong and lives on: Visit any of his remaining design havens and you'll find Persian carpets, European furniture, antique jewelry and designer clothing — all handpicked by the man himself.

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