Premium
The New and the Rare: Luxury and Convenience in Japanese Depa‐chika
Author(s) -
Takahashi Masaaki
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
architectural design
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.128
H-Index - 22
eISSN - 1554-2769
pISSN - 0003-8504
DOI - 10.1002/ad.73
Subject(s) - novelty , commerce , advertising , value (mathematics) , face (sociological concept) , business , mathematics , sociology , psychology , social science , statistics , social psychology
In the face of economic adversity, the food sections of Japan's department stores have prospered, attracting large numbers of customers with their fresh produce, luxurious dishes and buzzing market‐like atmospheres. Masaaki Takahashi describes how these depa‐chika have not only met the demand for prepared foods among busy working people, but have also stimulated it. Selling the finest delicacies, they tempt their customers with rare items that are often bought for their novelty value alone.