Has the demise of the department store finally arrived in Japan, which has held on to them longer than most?

The news of the impending closure of the Seibu store in Shibuya, the dense part of central Tokyo that’s home to the famed Scramble Crossing, marks the end of an era. Department stores are credited with transforming the area from a sleepy black-market backwater to the world-famous home of youth subculture, with Seibu’s arrival in 1968 triggering a battle for control.

With Shibuya in the midst of a two-decade reconstruction, many thought that Seibu would be one of the few landmarks to survive. Yet owners Fortress Investment Group were unable to renew terms with the landowners, and it will close its doors in September after nearly 60 years.

© The Japan Times