Japanese fan-fitted jackets, other workwear a hit with foreign visitorsTaiwanese customer Lo Kuan-hsin (right) tries on a fan-fitted jacket at the Ueno store of Sanko Hakui Co's workwear chain Bic Uniform on March 6, 2026. (Phote: Kyodo)Jackets fitted with motorised fans have become popular with laborers during Japan's sweltering summer months, but at one workwear store in Tokyo, it is foreign visitors who are driving sales. Sanko Hakui Co, the operator of the store, was one of them. According to Sanko Hakui, the Ueno store's fall sales last year were quadruple those of the same period the previous year. As for why the products are so popular, he pointed to the high level of functionality prized by Japanese customers, such as water resistance, wind proofing and warming effects.

Source: Bangkok Post March 23, 2026 09:06 UTC