A Cultural Phenomenon and Icon for 45 years. ⭐️

Since the 1980s, visiting 109 to see what’s new has been at the top of the want list for almost every young girl growing up in Japan. The average age of the visitor has moved down from office worker to college student to high school student to now junior high school student, but it remains the first go-to shopping experience for any young girl coming to Tokyo.

There are legions of women in Japan who have dreamed of the day they can bring their own daughters to 109 for their first visit, just like they did when they were younger. And a nice “otoshi-dama” from Grandpa for their first 109 visit is every granddaughter’s (and Grandpa’s) dream.

As a former aspiring designer and fashion business geek, I have long been fascinated by 109.

Over the years, 109 was the birthplace of a Japanese retail concept known as “house mannequins.” 🇯🇵 These were young women who embodied the target of each DC brand and who job was to dress in the brands clothing and personify the brand-not necessarily sell.

109 was also the epicenter of another Japanese subcultural trend, “gyaru” culture: long blond hair, extravagant makeup, and dark-tanned faces.

So why 109? The building was opened in 1979, and designed by superstar architect Minoru Takeyama, who was given free rein. The original concept, and name, was “Fashion Community 109.” The 109 is a wordplay on the name of the operator, Tokyu. “To” means 10 and “Kyu” means 9 in Japanese. It also references the then revolutionary opening hours of 10:00 am to 9:00 pm, to accommodate those newly working young women.

The original target was early 30s females who were now working and had plenty of disposable income to spend on the nascent but booming avant-garde DC fashion brands of Japan. It was also Tokyu’s response to Seibu department store's growing influence in the area. 

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