From March 4 to 7, Japan’s largest retail technology exhibition, JAPAN SHOP 2025, was held at the Tokyo Big Sight. Spanning the venue’s entire East and South exhibition halls, JAPAN SHOP ran alongside the Architecture + Construction Materials Expo, LIGHTING FAIR, RETAIL TECH JAPAN, SECURITY SHOW, Building Maintenance CONNECT, Good Appliance Expo Tokyo, and the Japan International Franchise Show. By the third day of the event, over 100,000 attendees had visited, hoping to discover the latest innovations in efficient store systems, shop fixtures, and commercial space design. Reporters from leading Japanese MICE news outlet POP Inc. waded through the packed aisles to learn about the hottest trends.
For an environmentally-friendly way to increase efficiency in inventory management, whywaste japan introduced its “Expiry Management” app. The smartphone app logs the expiration dates of products and automatically sends notifications when said dates are near. Therefore, employees can immediately know which products need to be marked down or disposed of each day, as opposed to being required to check the entire stock. Customer Support Director Kankuro Arisumi elaborated that Expiry Management users have experienced an overall 80% decrease in work time, as well as a 40% decrease in food waste.
whywaste japan official homepage: https://www.whywaste-japan.jp/
Standing out amongst the store display manufacturers, OnTheWall Inc. creates plastered and painted walls for all types of commercial and residential facilities. Based out Shizuoka, the company uses Italian materials for their products. OnTheWall’s booth at JAPAN SHOP 2025 was abuzz with attendees experiencing hands-on the delicate yet strong balance of their craftmanship. OnTheWall representatives explained that the manufacturer has been exhibiting at JAPAN SHOP for five years straight, and the event is the perfect opportunity for them to meet face-to-face with both new and returning customers.
OnTheWall official homepage: https://onthewall.co.jp/
Meanwhile at the Japan International Franchise Show, Kids-UP Co., Ltd. was drawing in visitors with informational sessions for their “Vision-UP” service. Kids-UP currently operates a chain of English language schools for children with several dozen locations throughout eastern Japan. In addition to searching for investors to help expand their schools to other regions, the company utilized JAPAN SHOP in order to promote the various support roles offered by Vision-UP. These assist other educational facilities in improving their techniques, such as by sharing school management knowhow, training staff, and providing educational software and tools. Despite worries about inclement weather during the exhibition, booth staff was delighted by the heavy visitor traffic.
Vision-UP official homepage: https://vision-up.biz/en
Managed by Pizzicato Design Inc., Jelly Jelly Cafe leads the Japanese board game cafe market. What has brought about its success, Omiya branch manager explained, is the affordability. With the purchase of only one drink, guests are able to play boards games for a total of 5 hours, and bringing in food is permitted. Furthermore, not only is a vast collection of international games available to be played, but Pizzicato Design even produces their own board games.
Jelly Jelly Cafe official homepage: https://jellyjellycafe.com/
The next JAPAN SHOP is scheduled to be held from July 10 to 11 at INTEX Osaka in the Kansai region. Admission is free to all industry professionals.
