• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion

2

'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic

3

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock

1

‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion

2

'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic

3

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock
RetailLuxury

Luxury pilgrimages bring tourists to Japan to scoop up high-end goods. Brands like LVMH would rather they not

Sasha Rogelberg
By
Sasha Rogelberg
Sasha Rogelberg
Reporter
Down Arrow Button Icon
Sasha Rogelberg
By
Sasha Rogelberg
Sasha Rogelberg
Reporter
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 1, 2024, 2:49 PM ET
A woman walks down the sidewalk with a Louis Vuitton bag around her wrist.
Tourism has surged in Japan thanks to a weakened yen, enticing visitors to buy cheaper luxury goods.James Whitlow Delano—Bloomberg/Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

For some Chinese shoppers, the 16,700 yuan, or $2,300, price tag of a Louis Vuitton Speedy Bandouliere 20 handbag is too much. It’s one reason why more and more are traveling to Japan—where the price for the same bag can be more than $400 lower.  

Recommended Video

Tourists, many of them from China, can thank the weak Japanese yen for the built-in discounts on luxury goods—which are driving surges of visitors to the country for the primary purpose of shopping.

Over 3 million visitors flocked to Japan in May, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization, and 1.3 million Chinese mainlanders visited in the first quarter of this year—a year-over-year increase of more than 800%. The influx coincides with the yen slipping to a 34-year low in April. Despite Japan’s efforts to hike interest rates, its currency still languishes behind the U.S. dollar, effectively discounting many goods for those willing to make the trip. A TAG Heuer watch in New York selling for $6,450 in New York can be found for closer to $5,000 in Tokyo—including the 10% duty-free discount for American travelers. 

As a result, many visitors coming to Japan are putting shopping sprees at the top of their itineraries. 

“Shopping, shopping, shopping,” one tourist from Indonesia told Reuters. “High-end brands are cheap here. We are going to buy Dior but we are going to Chanel first.”

Japan’s retail sales grew 3% in May from the year before, according to government data, compared to the expected 2%. Its luxury market is worth $41.1 billion, according to consumer trend platform Euromonitor, and is forecasted to reach $42.3 billion in two years.

Despite a global luxury slowdown, companies like LVMH have seen massive growth in their Japanese markets. Japan was the fastest-growing country for the luxury conglomerate’s 75 brands, which include Louis Vuitton and Dior. LVMH sales in Japan grew 31% across the first nine months of 2023. Stores from brands Celine, Dior, Cartier, and Hermès have cropped up in massive Tokyo shopping developments just this year.

Even luxury shoppers love a discount

But despite the rapid growth of the Japanese market, luxury brands have mixed feelings about the prospect of shoppers on the hunt for good deals. LVMH CFO Jean-Jacques Guiony warned that Japan’s appealing shopping climate has disincentivized Asian customers from buying luxury goods in their home countries, as many of them instead wait for their impending trip to Japan to spend big. It means more traffic—but crunched profits.

“We are happy with the growth generated in Japan, but it comes at a notable cost from a profit and margin perspective,” Guiony said during the company’s earnings call last month. 

Business in China “is slightly down because the business is taking place elsewhere and particularly in Japan. In Japan, traffic is going through the roof,” he said.

“The situation in Japan…is not something we had factored in and forecasted, to be frank,” he added, describing the business shift from Asia to Japan as “extremely violent.”

A spokesperson for LVMH declined to comment beyond the CFO’s statements.

French spirits company Remy Cointreau experienced a similar conundrum. While its sales across Asia were down this quarter, sales in Japan were strong and “boosted by tourism and partially also the weak yen,” CFO Luca Marotta said last week, though he admitted Japan’s growth came at the expense of other parts of the continent.

Sales in “Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau were particularly weak, impacted by…tourist preference for Japan over Hong Kong,” he said in the company’s July 24 earnings call.

The company did not respond to Fortune‘s request for further comment.

Luxury companies are in a precarious position. It’s difficult for brands to increase prices on products because the yen is so volatile. Consumer sensitivity to major price hikes in recent years has dissuaded companies from raising costs even more.

Meanwhile, Japanese retailers continue to welcome tourists, particularly Chinese visitors, with open arms, Tokyo-based brand strategist England Summers told Women’s Wear Daily. Retailers are hiring more workers who speak Chinese and using Chinese social media to build connections with their budding audience. And because of Japan’s strict border control policies, its luxury goods are near-guaranteed to be authentic.

“It’s a perfect storm for travel retail in Japan,” Summers said.

The Fortune 500 Innovation Forum will convene Fortune 500 executives, U.S. policy officials, top founders, and thought leaders to help define what’s next for the American economy, Nov. 16-17 in Detroit. Apply here.
About the Author
Sasha Rogelberg
By Sasha RogelbergReporter
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Sasha Rogelberg is a reporter and former editorial fellow on the news desk at Fortune, covering retail and the intersection of business and popular culture.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Retail

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Retail

LaLiga president says tech is already making the fan experience better, and it could solve football’s money problem too
AISports
LaLiga president says tech is already making the fan experience better, and it could solve football’s money problem too
By Catherina GioinoJuly 20, 2026
5 hours ago
A hand types on a computer with a screen displaying the AliExpress logo from Google Images.
RetailRetail
‘It is a failure by AliExpress’: European Commission fines the Chinese marketplace $629 million for not blocking counterfeit goods
By The Associated Press and Mike CorderJuly 20, 2026
5 hours ago
FDA walks back positive lab test while lettuce recall continues
HealthFood and drink
FDA walks back positive lab test while lettuce recall continues
By Bloomberg, Kristina Peterson, Jessica Nix and Daniela SirtoriJuly 20, 2026
11 hours ago
An aerial view of a person eating Taco Bell
RetailRecalls
It’s not just Taco Bell lettuce and possible glass in Pillsbury rolls: Food and drink recall events reached a 6-year year-over-year high
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 20, 2026
15 hours ago
Nestlé KitKat Original chocolate bars
RetailMarketing
How Nestlé turned a chocolate heist into a masterclass in brand building 
By Sam BirchallJuly 20, 2026
16 hours ago
jon
PoliticsElections
The Democrats suddenly have a 39-year-old Senate warrior tearing into Trump and ‘Prince Don and Prince Eric’: Jon Ossoff
By Bill Barrow and The Associated PressJuly 19, 2026
1 day ago

Most Popular

‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion
Success
‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion
By Sydney LakeJuly 20, 2026
12 hours ago
'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic
AI
'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic
By Jason MaJuly 18, 2026
2 days ago
Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock
Success
Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 20, 2026
8 hours ago
Power companies are using eminent domain to seize land for data centers as 70% of Americans say not in my backyard
AI
Power companies are using eminent domain to seize land for data centers as 70% of Americans say not in my backyard
By Aaron Walayat and The ConversationJuly 19, 2026
2 days ago
Warren Buffett says his $147 billion investing career was an accident: ‘I may be one of the 10 luckiest in the world’
Future of Work
Warren Buffett says his $147 billion investing career was an accident: ‘I may be one of the 10 luckiest in the world’
By Sarah GlodekJuly 20, 2026
18 hours ago
Red Lobster’s 37-year-old CEO waited tables before joining the C-suite—he says it was a crash course in managing ‘difficult people and situations’
Success
Red Lobster’s 37-year-old CEO waited tables before joining the C-suite—he says it was a crash course in managing ‘difficult people and situations’
By Preston ForeJuly 19, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.