More than 400 guests attended the pre-party for Isetan Mitsukoshi's "Nipponista" pop-up store, which opened in New York on February 6th. On the 8th, the third day after the store's opening, Taiyo Onishi, president of Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings, also visited the store. He made time to visit the store during New York Fashion Week. "We're relieved that our store is visited not only by Japanese customers living in New York, but also by non-Japanese customers. We've heard feedback that people are appreciating the 'Cool Japan' concept proposed by Isetan as a select shop through its own merchandising, rather than a traditional exhibition showcasing traditional Japanese culture, and we look forward to seeing how it is actually received," said President Onishi.

Regarding future store opening plans, including pop-up stores in New York, he said, "We are considering things like researching real estate locally, but our plans are completely undecided. With rents rising in Manhattan, it's not an easy decision to make, but we are not limiting the area to just SOHO; we could also consider Chelsea, the Meatpacking District, Uptown, etc. Personally, I love New York because it has all kinds of zones, but one thing we are considering is whether a concept store like Nipponista can be opened not only in New York, but also in Europe and other cities."