People are overflowing from Tokyo Station going back home at the end of the year. In 1964 the Shinkansen opened between Tokyo and Osaka. Today, from Tokyo Station there are the Tohoku, Hokkaido, Joetsu, Hokuriku Shinkensens and more. It is the starting point for Shinkansen that go all over Japan. The average number of people who ride Shinkansen at Tokyo Station per day is 77,677 people (in 2015). At the end of the year when the number of people returning back home increases, ridership increases by 150%. Those rushing to the station platforms are with large luggage and paper bags filled with souvenirs. These souvenirs are filled with feelings for those waiting back home.

The average spent on souvenirs to bring back home is roughly 3,000 yen. The sweets bought should not expire for a while, and should be able to be enjoyed by everyone together. With the ‘Tokyoness’ added the sweets, they can even be the start of a conversation. Before World War 2, the originator of Tokyo souvenirs was the store Eitaro Sohonpo’s “Eitaro Candy”. In particular, women from the Kansai region loved the store’s pickled plum candy. Nowadays, western sweets are also popular as a souvenir to bring back home. The most popular souvenirs at Gransta inside Tokyo Station are as follows: 1st) maple butter cookies, 2nd) chocolate sandwich bars, 3rd) chocolate pie snacks, 4th) stick waffles, 5th) cheese cake. They have a ‘Tokyo’ cosmopolitan taste that everyone loves.

After the New Year vacation is finished, when returning to Tokyo, souvenirs are bought for the workplace. The workplace after New Years is lively with souvenirs, stories from hometowns and what people did over the holidays. Then, with the memories from your hometown in your heart, the new year will start. An average of 43,000 people use Tokyo’s Gransta each day. People returning to their hometowns from Tokyo are buying souvenirs for those waiting for them today too. This attentiveness is ‘Tokyo Good’.

In cooperation with: Tetsudo Kaikan Gransta