A Case Study of Yoshitaro Hasegawa, Founder of Bunkaya-Zakkaten

oleh: Takeshi Matsui

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: Japan Marketing Academy 2019-01-01

Deskripsi

This paper deals with the history of the legendary zakka shop, Bunkaya-Zakkaten, which operated in Shibuya and Harajuku in Tokyo from 1974 to 2015. The Japanese term zakka, which literally means “uncategorizable things,” is an elusive word that refers to a broad range of miscellaneous goods. Zakka shops can now be found across the country, but the boundaries of zakka as a category of goods remain difficult to define. This distinctive concept was created by Yoshitaro Hasegawa, the owner of Bunkaya-Zakkaten. By disseminating the concept through selling zakka at his shop, he has had an enormous impact on consumers, as well as on creators such as fashion designers and magazine editors, for many years. Based on his oral history, we see how he has devoted his life to Bunkaya-Zakkaten.