Kikkoman Corporation

"Antenna shops" are run by a number of Japan's prefectures, cities and regions as a means to introduce and market themselves, as well as to acquire a sense of consumer trends and tastes outside their own borders.

True to their name, Tokyo's antenna shops both send and receive information—and while these transmissions are intended to communicate, they also aim to transport visitors to the Japan that exists beyond Tokyo.

There are about sixty of these shops in Tokyo—the most advantageous location from which to promote regional specialties—and each presents a friendly introduction to a prefecture or region in Japan. Some shops comprise a joint effort, such as the one set up by Kagawa and Ehime prefectures from the island of Shikoku; most stores, however, represent a single locale, such as Okinawa or Hokkaido.

Antenna shops encourage travel and tourism, and promote unique food specialties as well as new ideas and products using traditional ingredients. Ever-popular Hokkaido operates five stores in Tokyo where consumers can buy Sapporo-style ramen and local seafood without ever having to travel to that far northern island.

Southern Okinawa's tropical-themed antenna shop in Tokyo's Ginza offers up a long list of the islands' beloved favorites, including fresh local foods such as goya (bitter gourd), shima-dofu (very firm tofu), and soki soba, stewed pork with noodles.

Some antenna shops also house restaurants: for example, one of the Yamagata Prefecture shops features a popular restaurant specializing in Italian cuisine made with local produce, overseen by a well-known Yamagata chef.

After getting the real taste of a place, customers may be tempted to buy special souvenirs of that locale to round out their "out-of-Tokyo experience." Traditional local crafts are always popular, such as the handmade lacquerware sold at the Ishikawa Prefecture store, or the lovely kyo-sensu (fans) sold at the Kyoto store.

But antenna shops are not just about food, souvenirs and tourism. Many also provide practical information on jobs and housing for those thinking about moving to the area.

There is yet another marketing segment that appreciates these multi-faceted antenna shops: those who have relocated to Tokyo from the farther reaches of Japan, and who may simply want to enjoy, however briefly, a nostalgic sense of place and a taste of home.