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July 16, 2024
 

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SHOPPING

Travelers in front of a Suntory duty-free shop at Kansai International Airport in December
BUSINESS
Jun 25, 2024
Duty-free sales at Japan's department stores tripled in May
Record sales were achieved with the help of a significant influx of Chinese tourists and the yen’s weakness.
A person walks among the giant columns supporting the Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel in Saitama Prefecture.
PODCAST / deep dive
Jun 20, 2024
Tokyo underground: The city beneath our feet
Join us this week on Deep Dive as we discuss with Alex K.T. Martin the expansive subterranean world of Tokyo’s ever-changing underground.
The number of consultations made by consumers regarding troubles on social media marked a record high in 2023, with people in their 50s or older particularly vulnerable.
JAPAN
Jun 14, 2024
Japan sees social media linked consultations hit record in 2023
In 2023, there were 910,000 consultations, and consumer damage from problematic transactions amounted to a record ¥8.8 trillion.
The iAEON app allows users to view their shopping history and save e-receipts on their smartphones to facilitate returns and act as proof of purchases.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 14, 2024
Aeon to roll out e-receipts nationwide
Customers can opt for e-receipts instead of paper ones when shopping by using the group’s iAEON app at participating stores.
The view from the top of one of the five 70-meter-deep shafts spread across the tunnel system of the ¥230 billion Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Jun 3, 2024
Tokyo underground: Exploring what lies beneath the world’s largest city
Tokyo has developed a massive network of underground infrastructure to support its population, a system being put to the test by extreme weather.
People shop at a local traditional market in the early morning in Kinmen, Taiwan, on Saturday.
BUSINESS
May 18, 2024
For Taiwan shoppers, China's malls only a ferry ride away
More than 700,000 people made the journey between Kinmen and China by ferry last year, the vast majority of them Taiwanese.
A host promotes lipstick on TikTok Shop
BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS
May 10, 2024
Livestream shopping foils high-tech tools from stopping counterfeits
The sheer volume of violations means e-commerce infringement enforcement can feel like a game of "whack-a-mole" for those who monitor the internet.
Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology, which allowed customers to grab grocery items from a shelf and walk out of the store, is reportedly being phased out of its grocery stores.
COMMENTARY / World
May 2, 2024
Amazon's AI stores seemed too magical. And they were.
There are plenty more examples of companies that have failed to mention humans pulling the levers behind supposedly cutting-edge AI technology.
People visit the Ameya Yokocho market in Tokyo's Ueno district during the Golden Week holiday on Tuesday.
BUSINESS
May 1, 2024
Weak yen fattens tourist wallets in Japan
Spending per head soared 52% over the first three months compared with 2019.
Kirin Beverage will raise the suggested retail price of its 1.5-liter Gogo no Kocha tea product to ¥432 from ¥400.
JAPAN
Apr 30, 2024
Prices of 417 food items to go up in Japan in May
Although the figure fell for the fifth straight month, the rate of price increase averaged 31%, the highest since the monthly statistics began in 2022.
The new V Point reward point program will have a combined number of 154 million subscribers from its two former programs, the largest in Japan.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 23, 2024
New 'V Point' program launched after merger
The combined number of subscribers to the two former programs was 154 million, the largest in Japan.
The giant green signs of this supermarket chain can be slightly intimidating, but chefs of all stripes are welcome in Gyomu's aisles.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Mar 31, 2024
In praise of Gyomu Super, a gem of Japanese grocery shopping
With a name that translates to something like “commercial supermarket,” you might assume Gyomu is just a restaurant supply chain.
A man works at a supermarket in Tokyo last month. Price increases backed by higher ingredient costs have started to come back due to unstable weather, Teikoku Databank has said.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 30, 2024
Japan to see prices of 2,806 food items raised in April
The figure exceeds 2,000 for the first time since October last year, though down 48.1% from April last year, when prices increased for 5,404 items.
Ichibata Department Store, located in Matsue, capital of Shimane Prefecture, was the last remaining department store in the prefecture but ended its 65-year history on Jan. 14.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 21, 2024
More prefectures losing department stores even amid pandemic recovery
In 17 prefectures there is currently only one department store and there are none in three, set to rise to four in July.
A Daiso shop in New York in September 2022. While Daiso originally entered the U.S. in 2005, it has scaled these efforts up over the past few years — the retailer now has about 120 stores across seven states.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 11, 2024
Daiso banks on ‘brand Japan’ for U.S. expansion
The discount store chain plans to open 65 stores in the U.S. in 2024, and over 100 next year.
A poster for digital coupons at a store in the city of Fukushima
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Mar 11, 2024
Fukushima’s welfare coupon campaign highlights digital divide
A call center dedicated to the initiative received so many calls that telephone lines were overloaded.
A pedestrian walks outside an Aeon store near Kofukuji Matsubara shopping street in Yokohama in April 2022.
BUSINESS
Jan 29, 2024
Japan's Aeon in exclusive talks to buy Tsuruha stake from Oasis
An increase in Aeon's stake would add to its drugstore business, a key growth driver for the firm.
Foreign tourists take pictures in Tokyo's Asakusa district in November.
BUSINESS
Dec 20, 2023
Japan’s post-pandemic tourists shift spending to crafts and jewelry
Average spending on traditional handicrafts per visitor was ¥13,338 ($92) in the July-September quarter, up 80% from the same period in 2019.
What makes a good gift guide? The answers are as varied as they are complex.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 16, 2023
The naughty and nice of creating holiday gift guides
The most shoppable gift guides, some say, suggest products that are novel but useful, surprising but thoughtful, affordable but not cheap.
The undulating structure of the Garden Plaza in Azabudai Hills in Tokyo is designed to showcase diverse greenery as well as act as an antidote to boxlike architecture.
BUSINESS
Nov 24, 2023
In photos: Tokyo’s new 'city within a city'
Mori's new Hills complex aims to challenge the traditional vision of hard-edged city living with beveled curves and green terraces.
Who needs AI when you have Hatsune Miku?
Over the first six months of 2024, a handful of songs using Vocaloid singer Hatsune Miku’s voice have enjoyed widespread attention, underlining a global interest in the character and the technology she represents.
Bloodied Trump survives assassination attempt at political rally
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is surrounded and evacuated by Secret Service agents at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Trump was rushed off stage at the rally after shots rang out.
Shooter came within inches of killing Trump, but left few clues as to why
An aerial view shows the stage where Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump had been standing during an assassination attempt the day before, and the roof of a nearby building where a gunman was shot dead by law enforcement, in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Sunday.
Yen’s woes seem too big for even a BOJ hike this month to solve
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
After Trump shooting, U.S. presidential race might take a violent turn
United States Secret Service Counter Snipers stand guard on a rooftop during a campaign rally for U.S. President Donald Trump in Avoca, Pennsylvania, in 2020.
No AC this summer? No problem (for me).
Think air conditioning is a requirement for a Tokyo summer? Think again.
She’s paying ¥1 million to help behind the scenes at the Paris Olympics
Mai Tarumi, who previously volunteered at the postponed Tokyo Olympics in 2021, has a travel budget of ¥1 million for her trip to volunteer at the Paris Games.

Podcast

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Longform

Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
By Tomoko Otake

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