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The Yomiuri Shimbun A foreign visitor browses products from Ibaraki Prefecture at the Ibaraki Sense shop in Chuo Ward, Tokyo.
By Sakura Nagase / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer
13:45 JST, August 6, 2024
A traveler from Canada recently explored Ibaraki Prefecture — by visiting an “antenna shop” in Ginza, Tokyo. The shop, called Ibaraki Sense, is run by the Ibaraki prefectural government.
Antenna shops are stores that local governments run in central Tokyo to promote the specialties of their areas. They are increasingly focusing on the foreign visitors who are flocking to Japan, stepping up their foreign-language guidance in a bid to attract more such customers.
The 30-year-old Canadian said she happened to find the shop online because she loves natto, one of the prefecture’s iconic products. She added she knew nothing about Ibaraki until coming to the shop, but she was excited to see many traditional crafts on the shelves.
Many such outlets hope that welcoming foreign visitors will boost sales after the lean years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ibaraki Sense has seen a surge in foreign customers since around May 2023, when restrictions on travel and going out were eased as COVID-19 was downgraded to Category V under the Infectious Diseases Law.
To better cater to such customers, Ibaraki Sense has set up dispensers for sampling several varieties of sake, a drink that is popular among visitors from overseas. The shop has also provided explanations in English for more of the items on its shelves.
Wakayama Kishukan, run by the Wakayama prefectural government, is also keen to lure foreign visitors. Recently renovated, the shop’s interior is decorated with local timber. A bar-style counter serves sake and umeshu plum liqueur, one of the prefecture’s signature products.
As umeboshi picked plums are now popular overseas, the shop offers an array of more than 80 types.
During a ceremony in June to celebrate the reopening of the renovated shop, Gov. Shuhei Kishimoto said his prefecture is home to various features that can fascinate people from overseas, such as the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage routes, a World Heritage site.
“We aim for this shop to serve as an incentive [for visitors] to travel to Wakayama Prefecture to enjoy fresh fruits and fish firsthand,” he added.
According to the Japan Center for Regional Development, of 62 antenna shops currently operating in Tokyo, 44 saw increases in their sales in March 2023 compared to a year earlier.
The Tokushima prefectural government runs Turntable in Shibuya Ward as an antenna shop that has also an accommodation facility. The hotel welcomed about 14,000 guests during fiscal 2023, almost the same level compared to four years earlier. Of 14,000 guests, 70% were foreigners, according to the government.
Daisuke Sakai, 44, who works for the operator of the complex, said the hotel features traditional woven fabrics and cedar from Tokushima in much of its decor.
“We try to create an atmosphere that lets our foreign guests get a sense of Tokushima,” he said.
The Niigata prefectural government will celebrate the full-fledged opening of The Niigata on Thursday in Ginza after closing its previous antenna shop in Omotesando. At the new location, information will be provided in English and Chinese, and automatic interpretation devices will also be introduced.
“Foreign visitors can be described as a new vein of ore that we can’t reach through online sales,” said Takeshi Shibuya, a prefectural government official. “We’ll aim to tap into it at this brick-and-mortar store.”
