Japan Department Stores Beefing Up Medical, Beauty Services

From Jiji

August 9 2023

TOKYO – Japanese department stores are expanding medical and beauty care services to take advantage of an increase in consumers wishing to avoid disease and stay healthy both inside and outside. 

The stores aim to attract more shoppers through the face-to-face services, which are not possible online.

 A clinic providing combined dementia prevention and dental care services opened in April in the annex of Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings Ltd.’s flagship Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi department store in Tokyo’s busy Nihonbashi district.

Its course aimed at finding Alzheimer’s dementia early, with charges starting from 1.65 million yen, is enjoying particular popularity, according to Ryota Marui, manager of the Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi store.

“Our customers are highly interested in health and beauty, as seen in cases in which both husband and wife receive the service together and service users bring in others by word of mouth,” Marui said.