Products such as this home grill kit are currently selling well in Japan.
At a time when retail sales in many sectors are falling, one area in which sales are actually rising is items that can be used for do-it-yourself activities at home. It seems that Japanese consumers are increasingly opting not to go out, but rather stay at home to practice self-enriching hobbies such as cooking with the family, making clothing, or growing food.
This home shiitake mushroom growing kit has become a surprise hit product.
Consumers are saving money by eating out less, but are also investing in near professional-grade kitchen tools, such as rice milling machines, high-tech rice cookers, fondue sets, and pressure cookers. Kitchen appliance manufacturer Iwatani reports that sales in the last quarter of 2008 increased by 43% in the niche of home grills to make fried octopus and skewered chicken, foods which are usually available at outdoor food stands. Another hit product is a kit that allows users to grow shiitake mushrooms at home, suggesting that consumers want to have fun in the kitchen.
Other products that have been doing well, such as electric hair clippers, hair irons, and hair dyes seem to indicate consumers are giving up trips to the hair salon in favor of doing the job themselves at home. There is also a strong sense of self-improvement with this brand of at-home consumerism. One of the hit products of late 2008-early 2009 is the “Core Rhythms” series of exercise DVDs, which incorporate moves from Latin dancing into at-home work outs.