Department Store Opening Day

What Is Department Store Opening Day?

Every December 20th is "Department Store Opening Day" (デパート開業の日, Depāto Kaigyo no Hi) in Japan. On December 20, 1904, the Mitsukoshi Dry Goods Store (三越呉服店) in Nihonbashi, Tokyo — later to become the iconic Mitsukoshi Department Store (三越百貨店) — announced that it was transforming its business model into what it called a "department store" (デパートメントストア, depātomento sutoa), becoming Japan's first establishment to adopt this Western retail concept of a large, multi-floor store selling diverse merchandise organized into specialized departments.

The Birth of Japan's Department Store

Mitsukoshi's 1904 announcement was a defining moment in Japanese retail history. The traditional Edo-period dry goods store had already been evolving toward a new format, but the formal adoption of the "department store" concept — with its multiple merchandise categories, fixed prices (no bargaining), Western-style display cases, and service staff — represented a wholesale reimagining of Japanese retail. Mitsukoshi built a Western-style building in 1914, complete with Japan's first escalator, and the department store format rapidly became Japan's most prestigious retail institution.

Japan's Department Store Golden Age

Japan's major department stores — Mitsukoshi, Isetan, Takashimaya, Seibu, Sogo, and regional equivalents — became the temples of Japanese consumer culture in the 20th century. Multi-story buildings in prime urban locations, combining luxury goods, fashion, food halls (depachika, デパ地下), art galleries, restaurants, and event spaces, they offered not just shopping but a complete cultural experience. The department store rooftop beer garden in summer and the basement food hall year-round became essential features of Japanese urban life.

Department Stores in the 21st Century

Japan's department stores have faced significant challenges from online retail, fast fashion, and changing consumer preferences — with several major chains closing locations and the overall sector contracting from its peak. Yet Japan's remaining major department stores maintain standards of customer service (the famous department store "irasshaimase" greeting and white-gloved elevator attendants) and merchandise curation that continue to attract loyal customers, particularly for luxury goods, food gifts, and special occasion purchases.

Fun Facts

• Depachika: Japan's department store basement food halls (デパ地下, depachika — "department store underground") are famous for their extraordinary quality and variety — offering prepared foods, sweets, seasonal delicacies, and gift boxes of premium food items that make them destinations in their own right, independent of the rest of the store.
• White-gloved elevator attendants: Japan's traditional department store elevator attendants (エレベーターガール, erebētā gāru) — uniformed women who operated elevators, announced floors, and bowed to customers — have become rare as automatic elevators replace manual operation, but some stores maintain the tradition as a luxury customer service distinction.