Issue #2

This is what came to mind when I came across the Barneys New York store in Tokyo’s Ginza shopping district. It was as if I saw a ghost. A towering, building-sized ghost, with gleaming windows topped with those signature black awnings. Western visitors to Tokyo (and other such cities as Osaka and Kobe) may be similarly surprised to discover a handful of brands they’d written off as dead, are alive and well here. Is it another case of Japan doing Americana better than we Americans can? Or is it something else? Why do brands and shops that went belly up in the U.S. survive—even thrive—here in Japan?

Take Toys ‘R’ Us, for example. The brand filed for bankruptcy in the U.S. in 2017, having incurred billions of dollars in debt and ultimately triggered a collapse of the country’s last national toy store. They served as an icon of the American “retail apocalypse”. After liquidating and restructuring, they attempted a relaunch in select cities, but never truly recovered. Meanwhile, the brand remains strong in Japan, having entered the country’s retail market in 1991 and quickly dominating the Japanese toy landscape. After severing ties with the American parent company in 2018, it focused on a more localized business strategy—with an emphasis on classic toys and games— and continues to open new stores, both in Japan and China.

Or consider Dean & Deluca. The East Coast gourmet grocer was once revered for its high-end take on deli foods, wine and baked goods. However, the glossy food emporium closed all its American doors after four decades due to a range of bad business decisions. It simply couldn’t support itself in the market. But in Japan? There are more than 50 locations and they’re all going strong—offering up New York-style snacks and freshly-brewed coffee, lovingly poured by polite and skilled baristas. What’s more, that warm cookie and latte are served to you on a real plate and in a proper coffee cup. It’s like what you imagine Dean & Deluca used to be like, in the “good old days” of New York, where people might’ve slowed down, if only for a moment, to enjoy the pleasure of a proper coffee break.

Then there’s Tower Records. Remember those? One of the coolest record store chains around, they operated in the U.S. from 1960 until 2006, when the brand ceremoniously closed its doors. But in Japan, the music never stopped. Tower Records is thriving with more than 80 stores throughout the country. The Shibuya flagship is one of the biggest music retail outlets in the world, occupying nine floors and hosting a range of events and album signings. How? While the Japanese listen to Spotify and stream Apple Music like the rest of us, many still have a collectors’ mindset. If they can score a signed copy or limited-edition version of their favorite album, or pick up a throwback tape or CD, many Japanese say it allows them to forge a deeper bond with the artist and their music. Plus, the shop offers a place for fans to hang out, thanks to the popular cafe located on the second floor.

This isn’t a new phenomenon, either. One of Japan’s most famous and ubiquitous konbinis (convenience stores) began in America. Lawson got its start as a dairy shop in Ohio back in the late 1930s (hence, the old-timey sign featuring a white milk jug). The store grew into a regional market and was bought by Consolidated Foods—now the Sara Lee Corporation—in 1959. As the brand expanded, it led to an agreement with Osaka-based Daiei, Inc. to bring locations to Japan in 1974.