Japan’s travel and retail sectors are anticipating a major windfall that could last through to Lunar New Year now that large-scale tour groups from China are returning.
A couple of years ago, Takako Tomura would breeze past the gaudy “Y100 store” close to her home as she went shopping for the little knick-knacks she needed around the house. But Japan’s retail landscape has changed dramatically in a relatively short space of time, and now she’s a frequent visitor to dollar stores that not long ago were perceived.