Walking down a street in Tokyo, it doesn't take long to spot women clutching Coach bags.
Coach, the New York-based maker of fine leather goods, is succeeding where other American companies have struggled, winning over finicky Japanese customers who have long preferred European and homegrown brands.
With more than 100 retail outlets around the country, Coach's sales here tripled over the past three years to about 30 billion yen, and business in Japan now makes up more than a fifth of its global sales.