Is All of Japan Becoming “Niseko”?　A Generation Z Urban Journalist Fears Japan in the Age of SNS

Selection and concentration” always involves “elimination.” Beyond that: ……

Tokyu Plaza Ginza, which had been operated by Tokyu Corporation after it was sold to Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Panasonic Finance Co. Tokyu is also withdrawing from the operation and the name of the facility is likely to be changed.

Tokyu Plaza Ginza has fallen into disrepair since Corona, despite its location at the prestigious Sukiyabashi intersection in Ginza. I feel that we were too naive in grasping the needs of the people coming to Ginza and the inbound crowd, or more to the point, I think we were too drawn to the exhaustive store development of the department stores of the past.

Today, there are many category killers, specialty stores that specialize in a single product, all over Japan, and department stores are perceived as “having everything, but not what we want to buy. Under such circumstances, department stores that adopt a strategy of specializing in inbound and affluent customers are succeeding.

However, Tokyu was not able to create a unique commercial facility in terms of software. I feel that this is the reason why it failed in Ginza.

As Mr. Tanigashira writes in his new book, the “Niseko-ization” of the city in which we live, its commercial facilities and public spaces, and all other places may be in progress. However, in the future, urban development and town planning through “selection and concentration” seem to be quite difficult.

In his new book, Mr. Tanigashira points out that “Niseko-ization” itself is fraught with problems. What are these problems? Selection and concentration” always entails “elimination.

If this is the case, then as “selection and concentration” become more and more fragmented due to the influence of social networking services, will there be as many “exclusions” as the number of such exclusions?

For example, if there is only “selection and concentration” targeting the wealthy, there will be a composition of “selected” rich people and “excluded” lower-middle class people.

Although this is not a desirable form, I do not think the trend of “Niseko-ization” will stop, because in a mature consumer society with the development of social networking services, each person will continue to seek content that deeply touches him or her.

In order to reduce the number of “exclusions” as much as possible, we have no choice but to increase various types of “selection and concentration. The role of the government should be to balance the many “choices” that have been created in this way.

On the other hand, I think it is necessary to stop and think about “Niseko-ization” itself. This is because in a place that has been “Niseko-ized,” those who have been excluded will feel more or less “divided. In other words, we must also think about how to dissolve the division.”

In his book, Mr. Tanigashira confesses, “At least I am aware of the problem of ‘Niseko-izing Nippon. Hence, the book covers a wide range of tourist attractions, towns, commercial facilities, and even thrusting activities, and does not dare to “select and concentrate” on any of them.

The book is a collection of stories about industries that are considered to be completely separate, connected by the keyword “Niseko-ka” (Niseko-ization). By making it a cross-sectional and comprehensive book, I am showing my resistance to ‘selection and concentration,’ and I am expressing my own intention to oppose ‘division.

I did not write this book as a critique. But as a result, it may be tinged with the color of a critique. Criticism, I believe, is a genre of writing in which topics from different genres can be discussed in relation to each other.

In this era of “Niseko-ization,” I think that criticism can play a surprisingly large role. …… That’s what I feel.

Kazuki Tanigashira is an urban journalist and chain store researcher. He graduated from the School of Cultural Planning at Waseda University and holds a master’s degree in Japanese language education from the School of Education at Waseda University. He received the Toyo Keizai Online Award 2024 MVP. His works include “Why are there penguins in Donki?” (Shueisha Shinsho) and “Thinking from Book-Off: Cultural Infrastructure Born from ‘Somehow'” (Seikyusha).

Kazuki Tago’s new book “Niseko-ka suru Nippon” is available here.