'Treasure hunt': tourists boost sales at Japan's Don Quijote stores

Business is booming astatine Japanese discount concatenation Don Quijote, which sells everything from nostril-hair wax to compact gadgets and colourful enactment costumes, acknowledgment to its cult presumption among tourists but besides ostentation astatine home.

At a ample Don Quijote store successful Tokyo's bustling Shibuya district, hundreds of tourists unreserved to capable their baskets with snacks and souvenirs from its heaving constrictive aisles.

"I was beauteous overwhelmed astatine first, conscionable due to the fact that there's truthful galore options, everything's successful a antithetic language," 27-year-old Garett Bryan from the United States told AFP.

But "I consciousness similar I bought a batch and it was lone similar $70" including "a java cupful for my mom, a fan, immoderate Godzilla chopsticks, conscionable a mates toys".

The chaotic cut-price shops nicknamed "Donki" were founded successful the 1980s by Takao Yasuda, who named them aft his concern inspiration: the idealistic protagonist of the classical Spanish novel, "Don Quixote".

He wanted to shingle up Japan's staid retail manufacture with caller tactics including late-night opening hours arsenic good arsenic much varied prices and merchandise lines.

Now a grounds influx of visitors to Japan, fuelled by a anemic yen, is boosting income nationwide.

Revenues astatine Don Quijote successful Japan are "around 1.7 higher than earlier the pandemic", said Motoki Hara, a manager astatine the retailer.

Last twelvemonth its genitor steadfast Pan Pacific International Holdings (PPIH) saw gross emergence astir 12 percent year-on-year for its discount chains including Donki, portion tax-free income bushed interior forecasts.

Shopping astatine Don Quijote is similar a "treasure hunt" -- a amusive acquisition that overseas visitors love, Hara told AFP.

"Customers extremity up buying thing antithetic than what they came successful for," helium said beside rows of cherry-blossom flavour KitKats, a fashionable exclusive product.

- 'Jungle'-like -

Don Quijote and its sister brands person 501 stores successful Japan, wherever 24 caller ones opened during the past fiscal year.

PPIH Group besides runs 110 stores abroad, successful the United States and crossed Asia from Taiwan to Thailand.

California is 1 spot being targeted by the institution for expansion, according to expert Paul Kraft, laminitis of Tokyo-based consultancy steadfast JapanIQ.

But that program could beryllium analyzable by US President Donald Trump's commercialized tariffs -- including levies of 24 percent connected Japan, which person been paused until July.

Even so, "I wouldn't stake against them, adjacent successful this full high-tariff environment", Kraft said.

"Nobody adjusts arsenic accelerated arsenic Don Quijote successful retail successful Japan -- adjacent faster than convenience stores, due to the fact that they springiness truthful overmuch autonomy to their stores."