Car sharing, subscriptions expand in Japan as vehicle ownership loses its shine
April 11, 2021 (Mainichi Japan)
Vehicles are seen lined up at a Park 24 Co. car-share station in this photo provided by the company. TOKYO Once upon a time, having a car was a status symbol. But in Japan, young people in particular are leaving car ownership behind, forcing the country s automakers to seek and strengthen strategies beyond the simple dealership sale. Now, a host of alternative ways to get behind the wheel are popping up, especially in cities, from fixed fee vehicle subscriptions to car sharing. I want to change this decades-old idea that a car is something you buy. So said Shinya Kotera, president of Toyota Motor Corp. subsidiary Kinto Corp. during an online briefing on the company s Kinto One service in January this year.
Valentine s Day chocolate sales could turn sour in Japan as people work from home
February 8, 2021 (Mainichi Japan)
Expensive chocolates are seen in a special sales area of Iwataya department store s main store in the city of Fukuoka s Chuo Ward on Jan. 27, 2021. (Mainichi/Hiroshi Hisano) FUKUOKA The chocolate industry and department stores in Japan face an uphill battle as the custom of giving sweets to people at workplaces and elsewhere on Valentine s Day is on the brink of being lost while more people work from home amid the coronavirus pandemic. Giri choco chocolate gifts handed out in the workplace out of courtesy had already been dying out in recent years before the coronavirus wreaked havoc, but stores in Japan are eagerly attempting to spur demand ahead of Feb. 14.