Why has 69-year-old Takuji Yasunaka devoted several decades of his life to running a Tokyo complex featuring Middle Eastern and Central Asian culture? “In a way, I guess I am hoping to create a kind of utopia.” https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2025/07/19/lifestyle/pao-compound-central-asia-higashi-nakano/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #life #lifestyle #shopping #travel #libraries

Once the darling of Japanese stock investors, department stores have lagged the recent broad market rally and could fall further behind as a strong yen dents tourist spending power. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/07/03/economy/department-stores-shares-lag/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #economy #departmentstores #japaneseeconomy #tourism #shopping #retailers #shopping #earthquakes #taxes