Tourism boosts Japan's 'Donki'

Business is booming at Japanese discount chain Don Quijote, which sells everything from nostril-hair wax to compact gadgets and colourful party costumes, thanks to its cult status among tourists but also inflation at home.

- CAROLINE GARDIN ATISH PATEL

At a large Don Quijote store in Tokyo's bustling Shibuya district, hundreds of tourists rush to fill their baskets with snacks and souvenirs from its heaving narrow aisles.

"I was pretty overwhelmed at first, just because there's so many options, everything's in a different language," 27-year-old Garett Bryan from the United States told AFP.

But "I feel like I bought a lot and it was only like $70 (about 2,300 baht)" including "a coffee cup for my mum, a fan, some Godzilla chopsticks, just a couple toys".

The chaotic cut-price shops nicknamed "Donki" were founded in the 1980s by Takao Yasuda, who named them after his business inspiration: the idealistic protagonist of the classic Spanish novel, Don Quixote.

He wanted to shake up Japan's staid retail industry with new tactics including late-night opening hours as well as more varied prices and product lines.

Now a record influx of visitors to Japan, fuelled by a weak yen, is boosting sales nationwide.

Revenues at Don Quijote in Japan are "around 1.7 times higher than before the pandemic", said Motoki Hata, a manager at the retailer.