Japanese cosmetics and beauty products, niche brands, luxury items – and lots of them...
No longer simply binge buyers, Chinese shoppers in Tokyo have become more deliberate and savvy about their shopping, favouring unique Japanese brands and quality international luxury items – and always looking for a bargain. While some Chinese customers may prefer to buy from established Japanese brands such as Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto, Adore, Tomorrowland and Hyke, they do not eschew international brands. Major luxury watch and jewellery brands, including Rolex, Mikimoto, Tasaki, Bulgari, Tiffany, Patek Philippe, Chaumet and Graff, are also popular. Shiei Kimura, originally from Hong Kong, has been in Japan for 28 years, the past 12 of which she has spent working for the flagship Isetan store in Shinjuku, Tokyo. First providing service to international customers at the store’s tax free counter, she now works in VIP customer service, helping the high-spending foreign customers who have become more common in recent years. Each day she is sent to different sections of the store to provide Chinese or English interpretation and other services to these customers.
