Treat yourself: Department stores in Japan boost ‘self-gifting’ lineups

Department stores in Japan are boosting their “self-gifting” lineups this year as part of oseibo year-end gift campaigns, including luxury accommodation tickets and hot pot kits.

Sogo & Seibu’s Yokohama store set up a dedicated area for year-end gifts on Oct. 30, two weeks earlier than the previous year. The chain is selling a variety of hot pot products, including a Tom Yum Goong kit with a French flavor, priced at ¥8,640 ($54).

The company also offers casual confectionery items and Christmas cakes, which are not conventionally part of the oseibo tradition, amid rising inflation.

“We’re seeing increasing demand for casual gifts” that are relatively cheap, said an official in charge of gift products at Sogo & Seibu.

Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings’ Mitsukoshi store in Tokyo’s Nihonbashi district opened its gift item space on Wednesday. The company is selling ¥391,212 tickets for stays at a Japanese-style luxury hotel in the Ureshino hot spring area in Saga Prefecture.

The Isetan Mitsukoshi chain is also selling a product featuring domestically grown nuts and coffee products, including one supervised by Alex Ramirez, a Venezuelan-born Japanese Baseball Hall of Famer.

Tobu Department Store has doubled its number of self-gifting items, such as confectionery and cosmetics.