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'Treasure Hunt': Tourists Boost Sales at Japan's Don Quijote Stores

Business is booming at Japanese discount chain Don Quijote, which sells everything from compact gadgets to party costumes, thanks to its cult status among tourists. Richard A. Brooks / AFP
Business is booming at Japanese discount chain Don Quijote, which sells everything from compact gadgets to party costumes, thanks to its cult status among tourists. Richard A. Brooks / AFP
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'Treasure Hunt': Tourists Boost Sales at Japan's Don Quijote Stores

Business is booming at Japanese discount chain Don Quijote, which sells everything from compact gadgets to party costumes, thanks to its cult status among tourists. Richard A. Brooks / AFP
Business is booming at Japanese discount chain Don Quijote, which sells everything from compact gadgets to party costumes, thanks to its cult status among tourists. Richard A. Brooks / AFP

Business is booming at Japanese discount chain Don Quijote, which sells everything from nostril-hair wax to compact gadgets and colorful party costumes, thanks to its cult status among tourists but also inflation at home.

At a large Don Quijote store in Tokyo's bustling Shibuya district, hundreds of tourists rush to fill their baskets with snacks and souvenirs from its heaving narrow aisles.

"I was pretty overwhelmed at first, just because there's so many options, everything's in a different language," 27-year-old Garett Bryan from the United States told AFP.

But "I feel like I bought a lot and it was only like $70" including "a coffee cup for my mom, a fan, some Godzilla chopsticks, just a couple toys".

The chaotic cut-price shops nicknamed "Donki" were founded in the 1980s by Takao Yasuda, who named them after his business inspiration: the idealistic protagonist of the classic Spanish novel, "Don Quixote".

He wanted to shake up Japan's staid retail industry with new tactics including late-night opening hours as well as more varied prices and product lines.

Now a record influx of visitors to Japan, fueled by a weak yen, is boosting sales nationwide.

Revenues at Don Quijote in Japan are "around 1.7 higher than before the pandemic", said Motoki Hata, a manager at the retailer.

Last year its parent firm Pan Pacific International Holdings (PPIH) saw revenue rise around 12 percent year-on-year for its discount chains including Donki, while tax-free sales beat internal forecasts.

Shopping at Don Quijote is like a "treasure hunt" -- a fun experience that foreign visitors love, Hata told AFP.

"Customers end up buying something different than what they came in for," he said beside rows of cherry-blossom flavor KitKats, a popular exclusive product.

- 'Jungle'-like -

Don Quijote and its sister brands have 501 stores in Japan, where 24 new ones opened during the past financial year.

PPIH Group also runs 110 stores abroad, in the United States and across Asia from Taiwan to Thailand.

California is one place being targeted by the company for expansion, according to analyst Paul Kraft, founder of Tokyo-based consultancy firm JapanIQ.

But that plan could be complicated by US President Donald Trump's trade tariffs -- including levies of 24 percent on Japan, which have been paused until July.

Even so, "I wouldn't bet against them, even in this entire high-tariff environment", Kraft said.

"Nobody adjusts as fast as Don Quijote in retail in Japan -- even faster than convenience stores, because they give so much autonomy to their stores."

They are also "some of the smartest and most aggressive buyers that I've seen", with consistently "the best selection of almost anything".

However, in Japan at least, the shopping experience is "cramped, dark, you know, the buildings might be old" with products seemingly "hanging from everywhere".

Don Quijote's omnipresent Santa-hat wearing penguin mascot Donpen and its "Don Don Donki" jingle on repeat just adds to the "jungle"-like experience.

"It is just almost an assault on the senses," Kraft said.

- Inflation hits -

Still, Don Quijote "has grown to be an extremely important retailer in Japan", Kraft said -- especially as rising inflation ramps up demand for cheaper products.

The country's core inflation rate accelerated to 3.2 percent in March, with consumers feeling the pinch on electricity bills as well as kitchen staples like cabbage and rice.

Household consumption fell 1.1 percent in 2024, with some people making the trip to Don Quijote to save.

"It's less expensive than other shops, and they also have famous brands," said a Tokyo resident who shops at the store twice a week and gave her surname as Kuroki.

Shoji Raku, 20, told AFP she shops at Donki for "shampoo, electronics and everything that you don't find elsewhere".

There is even usually a cordoned off adults-only section at Donki stores selling various sex toys.

Tourist sales remain a key focus for the chain, which plans to open two new stores targeted at visitors in Japan next year, centered on duty-free products.

But one Donki customer, Bruno Bosi from Brazil, said shoppers should tread with caution.

"It is a store for you to buy as much as you want -- but I think you need to ask yourself if you need it," he said.

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Varieties

China’s Population Falls Again as Births Drop to Lowest Rate Since 1949 Communist Revolution

Women push baby strollers as they walk along a street in Beijing on January 4, 2026. (AFP)
Women push baby strollers as they walk along a street in Beijing on January 4, 2026. (AFP)
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China’s Population Falls Again as Births Drop to Lowest Rate Since 1949 Communist Revolution

Women push baby strollers as they walk along a street in Beijing on January 4, 2026. (AFP)
Women push baby strollers as they walk along a street in Beijing on January 4, 2026. (AFP)

How do you persuade a population to have more babies after generations of limiting families to just one?

A decade after ending China's longtime one-child policy, authorities are pushing a range of ideas and policies to try and encourage more births — tactics that range from cash subsidies to taxing condoms to eliminating a tax on matchmakers and day care centers.

The efforts haven't paid off yet. At least, that's what population figures released Monday show for what is now the world's second-most populous nation. China's population of 1.4 billion continued to shrink, marking the fourth straight year of decrease, new government statistics show. The total population in 2025 stood at 1.404 billion, which was 3 million less than the previous year.

Measured another way, the birth rate in 2025 is the lowest on record since 1949, the year that Mao Zedong’s Communists overthrew the Nationalists and began running China. Figures before that, under the previous Nationalist government, were not available. The rate of 5.63% is the number of births per 1,000 people.

China was long the world’s most populous nation until 2023, when it was surpassed by regional neighbor and sometime rival India. Monday's statistics illustrate the stark demographic pressures faced by the country as it tries to pivot from a problem it is working hard to overcome: status as a nation with a growing but transitional economy that, as is often said, is “getting old before it gets rich.”

Is a snake involved? The number of new babies born was just 7.92 million in 2025, a decline of 1.62 million, or 17%. The latest birth numbers show that the slight tick upwards in 2024 was not a lasting trend. Births declined for seven years in a row through 2023.

Most families cite the costs and pressure of raising a child in a highly competitive society as significant hurdles that now loom larger in the face of an economic downturn that has impacted households struggling to meet their living costs. Another potential factor in the numbers: last year in China was the year of the snake, considered one of the least favored years for having a child under the Chinese zodiac.

Like many other countries in Asia, China has faced a declining fertility rate, or the average number of babies a woman is expected to have in her lifetime. While the government does not regularly publish a fertility rate, last saying it was 1.3 in 2020, experts have estimated it is now around 1. Both figures are far below the 2.1 rate that would maintain the size of China's population.

For decades, the Chinese government barred people from having more than one baby and often sanctioned those who did — a policy that produced more than two generations of only children. In 2015, the government raised the permitted amount of offspring to two and then, facing demographic pressure, further revised the limit to three kids in 2021.

The push for more births is about the economy. China now has 323 million people over 60, or 23% of the entire population. That number has continued to rise, while the working-age population is shrinking, meaning there are fewer workers to support the older population.

This demographic shift is happening while China is in the process of trying to transition away from labor-intensive industries like farming and manufacturing into a consumer-driven economy built with high-tech manufacturing. The difficulty is in trying to get richer as a country, while this population shift likely means a slowing economy.

Officials have had limited success with policy changes to incentivize families to have more children. In July, the government announced cash subsidies of 3,600 yuan ($500) per child to families.

Varieties

UK, France Mull Social Media Bans for Youth as Debate Rages

Some experts worry a blanket ban on social media could have unintended consequences. Saeed KHAN / AFP/File
Some experts worry a blanket ban on social media could have unintended consequences. Saeed KHAN / AFP/File
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UK, France Mull Social Media Bans for Youth as Debate Rages

Some experts worry a blanket ban on social media could have unintended consequences. Saeed KHAN / AFP/File
Some experts worry a blanket ban on social media could have unintended consequences. Saeed KHAN / AFP/File

Countries including France and Britain are considering following Australia's lead by banning children and some teenagers from using social media, but experts are still locked in a debate over the effectiveness of the move.

Supporters of a ban warn that action needs to be taken to tackle deteriorating mental health among young people, but others say the evidence is inconclusive and want a more nuanced approach.

Australia last month became the first nation to prohibit people under-16s from using immensely popular and profitable social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok and YouTube.

France is currently debating bills for a similar ban for under-15s, including one championed by President Emmanuel Macron.

The Guardian reported last week that Jonathan Haidt, an American psychologist and supporter of the Australian ban, had been asked to speak to UK government officials.

Haidt argued in his bestselling 2024 book "The Anxious Generation" that too much time looking at screens -- particularly social media -- was rewiring children's brains and "causing an epidemic of mental illness".

While influential among politicians, the book has proven controversial in academic circles.

Canadian psychologist Candice Odgers wrote in a review of the book that the "scary story" Haidt was telling was "not supported by science".

One of the main areas of disagreement has been determining exactly how much effect using social media has on young people's mental health.

Michael Noetel, a researcher at the University of Queensland in Australia, told AFP that "small effects across billions of users add up".

There is "plenty of evidence" that social media does harm to teens, he said, adding that some were demanding an unrealistic level of proof.

"My read is that Haidt is more right than his harshest critics admit, and less right than his book implies," Noetel said.

Given the potential benefit of a ban, he considered it "a bet worth making".

After reviewing the evidence, France's public health watchdog ANSES ruled last week that social media had numerous detrimental effects for adolescents -- particularly girls -- while not being the sole reason for their declining mental health.

Everything in moderation?

Noetel led research published in Psychological Bulletin last year that reviewed more than 100 studies worldwide on the links between screens and the psychological and emotional problems suffered by children and adolescents.

The findings suggested a vicious cycle.

Excessive screen time -- particularly using social media and playing video games -- was associated with problems. This distress then drove youngsters to look at their screens even more.

However, other researchers are wary of a blanket ban.

Ben Singh from the University of Adelaide tracked more than 100,000 young Australians over three years for a study published in JAMA Pediatrics.

The study found that the young people with the worst wellbeing were those who used social media heavily -- more than two hours a day -- or not at all. It was teens who used social networks moderately that fared the best.

"The findings suggest that both excessive restriction and excessive use can be problematic," Singh told AFP.

Again, girls suffered the most from excessive use. Being entirely deprived of social media was found to be most detrimental for boys in their later teens.

'Appallingly toxic'

French psychiatrist Serge Tisseron is among those who have long warned about the huge threat that screens pose to health.

"Social media is appallingly toxic," he told AFP.

But he feared a ban would easily be overcome by tech-savvy teens, at the same time absolving parents of responsibility.

"In recent years, the debate has become extremely polarized between an outright ban or nothing at all," he said, calling for regulation that walks a finer line.

Another option could be to wait and see how the Australian experiment pans out.

"Within a year, we should know much more about how effective the Australian social media ban has been and whether it led to any unintended consequences," Cambridge University researcher Amy Orben said.

Last week, Australia's online safety watchdog said that tech companies have already blocked 4.7 million accounts for under 16s.

Varieties

Innovative Drug Lowers Triglycerides, Other Blood Lipids

High levels of triglycerides in the blood increase the risk of heart disease (Monash University) 
High levels of triglycerides in the blood increase the risk of heart disease (Monash University) 
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Innovative Drug Lowers Triglycerides, Other Blood Lipids

High levels of triglycerides in the blood increase the risk of heart disease (Monash University) 
High levels of triglycerides in the blood increase the risk of heart disease (Monash University) 

A study led by researchers from the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland, revealed a new liver- and gut-targeted oral drug that can safely lower triglycerides and other blood lipids.

Researchers of the study, published last Friday in Nature Medicine, said the innovative drug could represent a breakthrough in treating metabolic diseases related to high triglycerides in the body.

The study said that when we eat, our bodies convert extra calories, especially from carbs, sugar, fats, and alcohol, into molecules called “triglycerides.”

Triglycerides are a form of fat or “lipid,” which the body stores away into its fat cells as an energy fuel for energy between meals.

But, excess amounts of fat in the body can be dangerous, causing a condition known as “hypertriglyceridemia” (“excess triglycerides in the blood”), which significantly increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and pancreatitis.

This is why we are universally advised to make healthy lifestyle choices in diet, exercise, while particularly bad cases require medication.

The study also found that keeping blood fats in check depends on a careful balance.

It said the liver and intestine release fat particles into the bloodstream, while enzymes work to break them down and clear them away.

When fat production outpaces clearance, triglycerides build up, setting the stage for metabolic diseases like dyslipidemia, acute pancreatitis, and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD).

One of the master switches in this system is a protein called Liver X Receptor, or LXR, which controls several genes that are involved in making and handling fats.

When LXR is active, triglycerides and cholesterol tend to rise.

Therefore, dialing it down through medication seems promising, but as LXR is also involved in protective cholesterol pathways elsewhere in the body, blocking it everywhere could do more harm than good.

Now, scientists have addressed this problem with an orally administered compound that can repress the activity of LXR specifically in the liver and gut to lower triglycerides without disrupting the body’s protective cholesterol pathways.

The compound, TLC‑2716, is what is known as an “inverse agonist” for the LXR. Unlike a “blocker” (“antagonist”) that merely stops a receptor from being activated, an “inverse agonist” makes the receptor signal the opposite effect to what it would normally do.

Clinical Trial

The lab findings set the stage for a randomized, placebo-controlled Phase 1 study in healthy adults. Participants received TLC‑2716 for 14 days given as a single dose per day and the trial focused first on safety and tolerability, and the authors report that the drug met these primary endpoints.

But even this short trial had clear effects: participants who received higher doses of TLC‑2716 showed notable drops in triglycerides as well as remnant cholesterol.

At the highest doses of TLC‑2716 (12mg), triglycerides fell by up to 38.5%, while postprandial (“after eating”) remnant cholesterol dropped by as much as 61%.

This happened despite participants starting with relatively normal lipid levels and without the use of other lipid-lowering drugs, the study showed.

Also, the treatment sped up triglyceride clearance by reducing the activity of two proteins that normally slow it down, ApoC3 and ANGPTL3.

At the same time, the study did not detect reductions in blood-cell expression of ABCA1 and ABCG1, genes used here as markers linked to reverse cholesterol transport.

Researchers said larger trials will be needed, but, for now, the concept has its first human proof of principle.