Part Two
In last week’s column, I wrote about the surprises from my four-day educational visit organized by the Tokyo Convention and Visitors Bureau (TCVB) for our association, Adfiap. This time, I wish to introduce to you the “antenna shops” of Tokyo.
Yes, you heard me right: Antenna shops. Not those selling gadgets that enhance radio tuning or TV viewing. I am referring to shops that sell goods and services. To be honest, this was the first time I heard about these shops during my Tokyo visit although I learned they have been around since the 1990s.
In an article originally written in Japanese by Harada Kazuyoshi of Nippon.com and published on March 26, 2015, the Japanese term “antenna shop” (antenna shoppu) referred to outlets set up by companies to display and sell their products with the principal aim of putting out “feelers” (hence the derivative word, antenna) to assess consumer demand. However, the term is now largely associated with shops promoting regional goods. These shops display and sell local items that are generally unavailable in metropolitan supermarkets, and some even include dine-in facilities. They also function as publicity centers, offering information about the sponsoring region for potential visitors, and can serve as meeting places for natives of the region living in the big city. In essence, antenna shops are a unique way of enjoying Tokyo and, at the same time, learning about the charm of Japan’s regions without ever leaving the city.
As Japan’s prefectures and municipalities seek to raise their profile and boost sales of local products, the growing number of regionally sponsored antenna shops are playing an increasingly important role. According to the Japan Center for Regional Development (JCRD), most of the antenna shops in Tokyo have 100,000 to 500,000 visitors a year.
In a survey, prefectures and municipalities have many reasons for setting up an antenna shop, and the top 5 are to: (1) generate publicity for local products, (2) generate publicity for the prefecture/city, (3) provide tourist information and boost tourism, (4) share information about the prefecture/city with media and others, and (5) increase sales of local products.
For the past several years, JCRD has been holding tours of antenna shops and seminars for foreigners who wish to pursue similar initiatives in their own countries. The participants have included representatives from Africa like Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda, as well as Asia including Malaysia, Pakistan and Fiji. More recently, representatives from the United States, Canada, Australia, the Philippines and South Korea have also taken part, according to JCRD.
I am sharing this Japanese antenna shop concept as this could be adopted by local government units to promote their respective areas, spearheaded by trade associations and cooperatives to promote their products and services, taken up by our tourism authorities as a way to promote our regions as a tourist destination, and serve as a vehicle to encourage Metro Manila residents to relocate (or return home) to some of the country’s other growth regions.
I hope your antennas are clearly receiving these signals.
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The column contributor, Octavio Peralta, is concurrently the secretary-general of the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (Adfiap) and CEO and founder of the Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives (PCAAE). PCAAE enjoys the support of Adfiap, the Tourism Promotions Board and the Philippine International Convention Center.
E-mail–obp@adfiap.org