Chinese shoppers flock to major Japanese cities in Lunar New Year
Aided by a weak yen and relaxed visa requirements, Japan is expecting a greater number of Chinese tourists than a year ago, with some travelers likely to make trips to smaller cities as well. On Wednesday, the flagship store of duty-free shop Laox Co. in the Ginza shopping district was packed with groups of Chinese tourists alighting from numerous coaches. "Japanese products are of high quality and everything is cheap thanks to the weak yen," a 31-year-old woman from Guangdong Province said, loaded down with cosmetics and devices for beauty treatment. For the Chinese New Year season, Laox has prepared 20,000 "lucky bags" -- mystery bargain bags customarily sold in the year's first discount sales -- at its 18 outlets nationwide, with the retail price totaling 1 billion yen. As the number "8" is considered lucky in China, the retailer will sell eight lucky bags priced at 8,888,888 yen containing luxury brand bags, expensive watches and pearl necklaces, the shop said. Among Chinese tourists, Japan's lucky bags have gained popularity through word of mouth as "good value." The sharp increase in the number of Chinese tourists at this time of the year has changed the department store industry's business environment. Sales usually plunged after Japan's New Year discount sales season in January. In Shinjuku Ward, an outlet of department store operator Takashimaya Co. is offering a lineup of expensive traditional Japanese craftworks, such as iron kettles and coral necklaces. Chinese travelers are also flocking to other parts of Japan. At the Shinsaibashi-suji shopping center in Osaka, many shops are offering 5 to 8 percent discounts to customers with foreign passports. Cosmetics, clothing and sundry goods are among popular items. "What is attractive about Kansai is that its culture appears to be typical Japanese," said a 42-year-old woman from Taiwan who has visited the western Japan region four times. Department stores in southwestern Japan's Kyushu region and in Okinawa are also hoping to increase sales with robust demand from Chinese shoppers. In Fukuoka, the Hakata Daimaru department store set up a special space Thursday through Tuesday to sell cosmetics that are popular with Chinese people, with two translators on site. "Though cosmetics of the same brand are also sold in Shanghai, products here are about 20 percent cheaper" because of the weak yen, said a 28-year-old female company employee from Shanghai. Source: Kyodo
