Chinese tourists
Buy Japan again
This May Day, Lu Yao went to Japan for the first time.
"Recently, the exchange rate has been so good that you can exchange it for 100 yen for less than 5 yuan. He said, "Just buy something, get a tax refund, and you'll earn back the money for the ticket." ”
But not long after arriving, Lu Yao was shocked by the army of Chinese tourists: the LV team in Ginza had already lined up outside the store, stretching a few hundred meters along the central road, and they waited for almost two hours.
Many of the nearby luxury stores were soon sold out.
When he arrived in Kamakura, the crowd made him feel like he was back in Shanghai: "When I was in line, I spoke Chinese before and after. "They stood on the ramp just to take a picture of the Shonan coast as the Enoshima Electric Railway passed by.
That's right, this holiday, the Chinese have "crowded" Japan again.
Whether it's shopping destinations like Ginza and Umeda, or tourist attractions like Kamakura and Hakone, Chinese tourists are everywhere – some busy checking in, others swiping their cards. Even the principal, Wang Sicong, was photographed sweeping goods on the streets of Harajuku.
Statistics show that this May Day, Japan has become the second largest choice of Chinese tourists to leave the country, only after Thailand, which has been exempted from visas.
In the first quarter of 2024, the per capita consumption of Chinese in Japan has reached 13,700 yuan, ranking first among all countries.
And this year's May Day also witnessed the "consumption change" of the Chinese - 10 years ago, the Chinese bought Japanese toilet seats and rice cookers; now they are snapping up Archaeopteryx, LV, and small cloth bicycles.
01
The queue at Ginza LV lasted nearly two hours
Handbags are more than 2000 cheaper
Lu Yao, who works in Shanghai, went to Japan with his girlfriend for a big round on May Day, and just came back yesterday.
They hadn't had a vacation for a long time, and this time they had already planned to choose a place to travel, but the actual plan to go to Japan was only a week before departure.
That's right, the recent yen exchange rate can be called "the weakest in history". In the past six months, the price of the yen has plummeted, and at the end of last year, 1 yuan could only be exchanged for 17 yen, and now, this figure has soared to 22 yen.
They booked the hotel at Toranomon in the heart of Tokyo. The price has risen on May Day, and the price is already close to 2,000 yuan a night, but it is very convenient to go to several shopping areas around Ginza, Omotesando, and Daikanyama from here.
Luxury stores are naturally the biggest target, "We basically ran through several brand stores. ”
But Lu Yao reluctantly found that there were long queues in front of most stores, and almost everyone inside was speaking Chinese. A top-notch flagship store like Ginza LV can be lined up a few corners away.
Fortunately, they did all their homework and lived close, although they queued for almost two hours, they still bought the bags and shoes they wanted.
In each luxury brand store, there is a Chinese shopping guide, hanging a badge with "translation" written on it, introducing them to different products one by one, and the shopping experience is still very good.
The clerk is still "fueling the fire" on the side, holding a calculator in his hand, and putting the price after tax refund in front of him in a few clicks, which is really difficult to resist in the face of this temptation.
Lu Yao had no desire to shop, and after shopping with his girlfriend, he also bought himself a Balenciaga wallet.
"I have a wallet now, but in that environment, I suddenly have an urge to 'if you don't buy it, you lose it'. He smiled and told me, "After all, it's still a lot cheaper than in China." ”
Compared with the lucky Lu Yao, his good friend originally wanted to buy a LV bag, but after queuing in, he found that the model he wanted had already been sold out, and the long queue in front of other houses poured cold water on her idea of "buying, buying, buying".
Many local Japanese media also reported on the scene of Chinese tourists shopping in Tokyo on May Day, from Sensoji Temple to Shinjuku, most of the popular shops are crowded.
Taking LV as an example, the popular Speedy 20 handbag sells for 308,000 yen in Japan, and after the tax refund, it is more than 2,000 cheaper than in China. With a favorable price and intimate service, it is not surprising that the Chinese are once again "buying" Japan.
Lu Yao stayed in Tokyo for 2 days, and basically spent shopping. "I also have friends, and this time I really just stayed in Tokyo for a week, and I didn't go to any sightseeing spots. He said.
"They're just here to buy luxury goods. ”
02
Archaeopteryx and Cloth
It has become the new favorite of the middle class
This is Lucy's fourth trip to Japan, and the biggest feeling she has from this trip is that "Japan has become cheaper".
She and her friends went to Matsuya for a gyudon meal and found that the most basic set meal was just over 400 yen. As soon as the mobile phone is converted, it is more than 20 yuan, which is much cheaper than Shanghai.
"I now order takeout at the company, and it costs thirty or forty to order any one of them. Lucy said, "I feel that in terms of food, Japan is no longer more expensive than the first-tier cities in China." ”
Lucy didn't buy luxury goods this time, "Thinking that I can't grab those daigou anyway, I don't want to queue up, and there are other things to buy anyway." ”
"In the end, I bought the most at the Loft in Shibuya. She smiled and said, "All kinds of messy stationery and groceries, half of the suitcase, all of which I liked before." ”
Of course, Lucy's trip to Japan also had a lot of gains - she bought a Fujifilm camera that she had been dreaming of for a long time.
Like these camera brands, not only do they increase their prices in China, but they are often out of stock. So she made a strategy online before she came, and when she arrived in Japan, she went to a store recommended by many people and took it directly.
This camera sells for more than 13,000 in China, and only 11,000 in Japan, which is 2,000 yuan cheaper than in China.
In addition to the Chinese tourists who come to sweep the luxury, Lucy's experience is also very representative. Ten years ago, in news reports, Chinese went to Japan, still staring at household appliances such as toilet seats and rice cookers, or frantically shopping for beauty products in drugstores.
This May Day, Archaeopteryx and small cloth bicycles have become the new favorites of Chinese tourists.
All the Archaeopteryx stores in Osaka were basically sold out, and everyone ridiculed them, "I came to buy birds, but I found that I didn't even buy bird feathers." "A Beta It coat is sold for 5400 in China, and here it is only 3500, and you can also get a tax refund. If you are lucky, there are many styles, which are basically equivalent to 6% off in China.
Therefore, many people have been squatting at the door long before opening the door, and even so, they will often encounter broken codes when they rush in.
The Brompton bicycle favored by the domestic middle class is even more staggering, and someone can buy a six-speed C line, which is equivalent to only 10,500 yuan, and it is close to 16,000 in China to buy.
Some people even unpack it after buying it, ride and camp in Kamogawa for two days, and then pack it and take it back to China.
People who used to tease their parents for carrying rice cookers now enjoy carrying bigger bicycle bags themselves.
03
Foreign tourists are buying in a blast
Locals, however, are downgrading their consumption
The number of tourists visiting Japan has not yet fully recovered, but purchasing power has refreshed.
Faced with this scene, Japanese netizens have a lot of discussions.
Some people think that the "finally returning" Chinese tourists have added a lot of vitality to Japan's economy, which is naturally a good thing. Some people also think that it is also Japan's Golden Week recently, and it is really difficult to resist the sudden influx of foreign tourists.
The boom in the Japanese shopping market is evident in the data released by LVMH: from January to March this year, the luxury brand's sales in Japan increased by 32% year-on-year, while the Asia-Pacific region outside Japan is declining.
The same is true for Hermès, which reported sales of 357 million euros in the first quarter, up nearly 11% year-on-year. The weak yen has naturally attracted countless foreign tourists, including China, to buy and buy.
But those Japanese locals who "earn yen and spend yen" don't enjoy it so much. Many people take advantage of the holidays to go out and play, but in order to save money, they even start to bring their own food for breakfast.
This May Day, Japan ushered in a boom in high-end consumption, but no one can give an answer to whether this feast, which is too dependent on foreign tourists, will be a flash in the pan.