Continuing in the trend of marketing to the lucrative silver market, department stores in Japan have begun carrying designer canes and walking sticks, designed not only for function, but with an eye toward fashion.
Designer Norico Kamata shows off some of her designer canes.
Designer Norico Kamata was working in the fashion industry four years ago, when a sudden illness left her in the need of a cane. She found that while of functional design of canes made in Japan are excellent, it was difficult to coordinate them with fashionable apparel. She launched her original brand, Norico, to fill that need. Her canes can be accented with Swarovski crystals and crocodile skin, and cost between 56,000 yen ($560) and 120,000 yen ($1,200), and custom order models are available. The canes are available at high end department stores such as Takashimaya and Mitsukoshi.
Recently eyeglass shops and drug stores in areas with a large amount of pedestrian traffic have begun selling canes from display stands in front of the shops.