Nikkei Research Inc. released the data from the “Census of Stores” which surveyed 60,000 consumers about their usage of stores in the Tokyo area. The survey design was renewed in 2022. This time, the survey was conducted in September 2023, covering 265 places (including large outlets) in Tokyo and 3 other neighboring prefectures.
Top 10 Stores
First, let’s look at the ranking of the most visited (within the past 3 months) stores. Although slight difference in the orders, the top five stores are unchanged from last year. Lumine Shinjuku secured its No.1 position again. The 2nd was Seibu Ikebukuro and the 3rd was Shibuya Hikarie, both moving one rank up from last year. Isetan Shinjuku and Lumine Est Shinjuku followed respectively.
Top 10 Most Visited Stores in the Greater Tokyo Area
| Fall 2023 | Fall 2022 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Area | Store Name | Rank |
| 1 | Shinjuku | Lumine Shinjuku | 1 |
| 2 | Ikebukuro | Seibu Ikebukuro | 3 |
| 3 | Shibuya | Shibuya Hikarie | 4 |
| 4 | Shinjuku | Isetan Shinjuku | 2 |
| 5 | Shinjuku | Lumine Est Shinjuku | 5 |
| 6 | Tokyo Station/Marunouchi | GRANSTA Tokyo (*1) | 7 |
| 7 | Ginza/Yurakucho/Hibiya | Ginza Mitsukoshi | 6 |
| 8 | Ikebukuro | Ikebukuro Sunshine City (ALTA, alpa) | 10 |
| 9 | Ikebukuro | Tobu Department Store Ikebukuro | 12 |
| 10 | Yokohama | SOGO Yokohama | 9 |
Stores in the rankings were similar to last year’s, where 9 stores were chosen again in the top 10 list. Daimaru Tokyo dropped to No.11 from the 8th in last year, missing the top 10 list. However, it still managed to hold its relatively high-ranking position. In the top 10 ranking, shopping centers and department stores split the share by five each, the same as last year.
Many department stores in the greater Tokyo area are expecting renovations or redevelopments, and entering the transitional phase. The key to success may be whether department stores can maintain or boost the number of visitors by successfully leveraging the current favorable environment such as getting back to the pre-COVID state, an increase of inbound tourists, and the weak yen.
Stores in the Shinjuku area
Three stores from the Shinjuku area made it into the top 5 ranking, indicating that this area is one of the most attractive places in Tokyo. We analyzed the visitors’ profiles of stores in the Shinjuku area. The below chart shows the usage status by gender and age group.
A significant share of females in their 20s and under use Lumine Shinjuku, Lumine Est Shinjuku, NEWoMan Shinjuku, and Shinjuku MYLORD. The reason for this can be said that there are many shops for young girl’s fashion inside these places. On the other hand, many 50s, both male and female, use Keio Department Store Shinjuku, Takashimaya Shinjuku Store, and Odakyu Department Store Shinjuku (Shinjuku Station West Exit HALC). This is likely to be caused by these places having many shops such as men’s and women’s clothes, jewelry, and high-end luxury brands.
As a comparison, Tokyu Kabukicho Tower, which opened in April 2023, has a unique characteristic. More than half of the visitors are male and the share of males in their 20s and under are especially large. While other places average 60~80% visiting alone or 10~20% visiting with family or friends but no more than a group of 3 people, it is noteworthy that 42% visit the Tokyu Kabukicho Tower alone and 45% go there with a small group.
Tokyu Kabukicho Tower is rather an entertainment complex, with the Shinjuku Kabuki Hall, the food court on the 2nd floor, and the amusement facilities on the 3rd floor with game arcades such as namco TOKYO. These features are solely distinctive from other places we surveyed in the Shinjuku area.
Looking at the intentions to revisit (*2), where other places average around 70~80%, Tokyu Kabukicho Tower has a relatively low score of 50%. This may be caused by the difference from other places, where Tokyu Kabukicho Tower has shops you can freely enter without reservations only on the 1st to the 3rd floor, while most other places have many apparel shops and restaurants inside. In addition, the characteristic of people visiting here rather in small groups affected the revisiting intentions as well, compared to other stores where the majority of people visit alone.
*2) The combined share of responses “Very much want to go” and “Want to go” to the question “Would you like to go to that place again?”
The city of Shinjuku is expected to change vastly with the Shinjuku Station West Exit Area Development Project including the demolitions of Odakyu Department Store Shinjuku (already started) and Shinjuku MYLORD (planned beyond 2025) and the redevelopment plan at the south exit area including demolitions of Lumine Shinjuku and Keio Department Store Shinjuku in the 2040s. The Census of Stores & Stations will continue to observe the changes in the commercial facilities in the greater Tokyo area.
