Japan’s Department Stores Close for New Year, Giving Their Employees a Break

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:41 JST, January 4, 2026

Most major department stores were closed for the New Year, as they sought to give their employees a holiday break. When they reopened for their first sales of the year, shoppers flocked to the stores.

All Sogo & Seibu Co. stores were closed on New Year’s Day, and they reopened on Friday. Customers began lining up outside the Sogo Yokohama store in Yokohama around 4 a.m. on Friday, and about 10,000 people entered in the 30 minutes after opening. Sales were up by more than 50% from Jan. 1, 2025, as was the number of customers.

The store sold “lucky bags” for the holiday season that offer customers special experiences. One ¥59,000 package offered a stay at Hotel New Grand in Yokohama and afternoon tea at the historic hotel’s banquet hall. Given the bite of rising prices, there were also more affordable options, including lucky bags priced at ¥2,026 and containing a men’s jacket.

“I buy lucky bags every year as gifts for my family. [The offerings in the] lucky bags are cheaper than usual, and I’m happy because they’re a good deal,” said a woman in her 70s from Yokohama, who bought food and other lucky bags.

Tobu Department Store Co. kept its outlets closed on Jan. 1 and 2, for the first time in 49 years; they opened on Jan. 3. Takashimaya Co. and Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Stores Co. also kept their stores closed on Jan. 1 and 2, as they did last year.

Similarly, Takashimaya’s Nihombashi store in Tokyo was closed on the first two days of the year, like last year. Takashimaya said monthly sales at the store in January last year still topped January 2024, when the store opened on Jan. 2. “Our employees were able to return to their hometowns and have time to relax thanks to the days off, and we feel this had a positive effect [on our business],” the store’s deputy manager said.