Hotel Okura in Fukuoka to open full service wine facilities and school
June 23, 2008
The premium luxury hotel chain Hotel Okura will open a wine restaurant and bar in their Fukuoka hotel named the Baron Okura Wine Dining and Bar on July 1st of this year. Guests will have over 500 types of wine to choose from, and will be served by qualified sommelier staff. As well, in August a special "wine school" will open for guest. The hotel's first floor restaurant will undergo remodeling to accommodate the new facilities and they expect sales to exceed ¥130,000,000 by the end of 2009.
The CEO of American luxury brand Coach, Lew Frankfort, recently spoke with the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun about his brand and his thoughts on sales for Japan and the rest of the world.
French luxury brand Louis Vuitton has recently opened a dedicated jewelry and watch store in the Matsuya department store in the trendy Ginza area of Tokyo. On June 19th a private opening ceremony was held, which featured the debut of their ¥900,000,000 jewelry set. Although most well-known for their bags and leather goods, in recent years the Louis Vuitton brand has been developing original jewelry and watches. Located on the first floor of Matsuya Ginza, the store has been named the "Watch and Fine Jewelry Salon".
Universal Studios Japan (USJ), the movie-based theme park in Osaka in western Japan, has announced plans for the development and refurnishing of five hotels in the surrounding area. Keihan Hotel will acquire and remodel an existing hotel which will go along with the development of a new hotel in the same area. And by July 2009 American chain Best Western will also begin construction. These developments are expected to intensify the competition between USJ in Osaka and Tokyo Disneyland, which similarly has already developed hotels nearby.
Whether going to the golf course or private resort, or even just to the office, a major topic among wealthy baby-boomer's in Japan is their personal chauffeurs. Those who are making the most use of the service are company owners and retired founders of major companies who appreciate the service as a status symbol. They have also found that it is cheaper and more convenient to hire a chauffer to drive them in their own personal car rather than hire a car and driver together. In this way they can hire a driver for part of a journey, and then continue onward with their own vehicle at their leisure.
Misawa Homes Co. Ltd has opened "Century" as their very high-end division specializing in luxury homes for wealthy consumers in Japan.
On June 9th Cosme Decorte AQ, the premium luxury brand of cosmetic company Kose, announced for the first time in eight years they will be making wide-scale change in their product line, including their lipstick and eye-shadow lines, among other products. 
Combining western styling and precious metals, the wristwatch is said to be this year's symbol of high-end fashion in Japan. One of the main items being introduced this year for the fashion conscious and trendy Japanese is the Hublot Big Bang series Porto Cervo, which retails for about ¥1,722,000. Designed for women, the elegant gold and diamond watch is quite large, with a 38mm face. Moreover, the bezel features 6 'H' shaped titanium screws with a glass surrounding, and the final look of the watch is actually rather sporty. 
Suntory Whisky has announced they will be increasing prices on shipments starting September 1st this year. The price increase reflects the sudden increase in cost for raw materials, in particular malt. The increase is targeted at mid to high priced items which in total account for approximately 20% of Suntory's domestic products. Other than price raises caused by increases in alcohol tax, this will be the first time since 1983 that the company has increased their prices.
Ferragamo Japan, which imports and sells products made by Italian luxury brand Salvatore Ferragamo, has announced a 7-10% price decrease on women's and men's goods sold in Japan. In total 42 different products, including handbags and men's shoes will be affected by the price reduction. Due to the effects of such things as lower stock prices and other influences, the outlook on future consumption of high-priced goods is generally considered to be quite unclear. As such, it is thought that this move to lower prices will give a favorable and economical impression to the goods sold by the brand to match the current conditions.
Honda president Takeo Fukui sat down for a brief interview with the Sankei Newspaper recently to discuss current developments for Honda in Japan. The discussion included talk of developments on the newly styled NSX sports car for 2010, and of the plans for the domestic expansion of their luxury Acura brand. The NSX sports car will be released based on technology similar to that developed for Formula One, while the intention with the Acura brand is to position it in the market by promoting it as a luxury brand.