Japan supermarket sales drop for first time in 8 months

STORY: Japan supermarket sales drop for first time in 8 months DATELINE: March 25, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:14 LOCATION: Tokyo CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of street views in Tokyo STORYLINE: Supermarket sales in Japan fell for the first time in eight months in February as food prices continue to soar, according to the latest industry data. According to the Japan Chain Stores Association, sales at major stores across the country totaled about 1 trillion yen (about 7.6 billion U.S. dollars) last month, down 2 percent in yen terms from the previous year. Food sales, accounting for nearly 70 percent of the total, fell 1.7 percent, the association said, while sales of clothing and cosmetics rose as people went out more as the COVID-19 pandemic subsides. Officials at the association said that consumers are buying less per shopping trip as they are becoming more cost-conscious and thrifty amid rising food prices. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Tokyo. (XHTV)

Namco opens healing park in Tokyo's Ikebukuro

Namco opens healing park in Tokyo's Ikebukuro

TOKYO, Japan - Officials cut the tape during the opening ceremony July 15 for the ''Riraku no Mori'' healing park operated by Namco Ltd. at the company's Namja Town amusement facility in Tokyo's Ikebukuro Ward. The park has eight stores to provide Taiwanese, Indian, Thai and other healing therapies and sell items such as health food.

Namco opens healing park in Tokyo's Ikebukuro

Namco opens healing park in Tokyo's Ikebukuro

TOKYO, Japan - Officials cut the tape during the opening ceremony July 15 for the ''Riraku no Mori'' healing park operated by Namco Ltd. at the company's Namja Town amusement facility in Tokyo's Ikebukuro Ward. The park has eight stores to provide Taiwanese, Indian, Thai and other healing therapies and sell items such as health food. (Kyodo)

Belgium's first Uniqlo store opens in Antwerp

Belgium's first Uniqlo store opens in Antwerp

Photo shows the first Uniqlo casual clothing store in Belgium, which opened in the country's second largest city of Antwerp on Oct. 2, 2015. In Europe, Uniqlo has nine stores in Britain, eight in France and one in Germany. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Rugged path for shop owners at temporary malls in tsunami-hit towns

Rugged path for shop owners at temporary malls in tsunami-hit towns

Yoshiya Kasai, head of the board of directors of the Sanriku Saiko shopping mall association, points to a map of a newly opened shopping street in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, during an interview on Aug. 10, 2015. Eight stores from a temporary shopping arcade relocated to the new mall, but business prospects remain uncertain as it is unclear how many evacuated residents will move back to the tsunami-ravaged area. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo