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QUESTION

How has the market for Japanese style furniture

kept up in Japan vs Western chairs and sofas?

INSIGHTS

In 2015, the Japanese domestic furniture market was worth 700 billion yen
(or $5.82 billion U.S. dollars).
25% of the total domestic market was made up of imports; whereas 60%
of the wooden furniture market was imported.
Many sources cite that sales in Japan's domestic wooden furniture market
have been "shrinking" for over a decade due to changing consumer
preferences and shift towards imports. Yet, even the most contemporary
Japanese home still has traditional Japanese-style touches.

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OVERVIEW

Hello! Thanks for your question about how the traditional, Japanese-style furniture market
is performing in Japan compared to Western-style furniture. The short version is that
after searching extensively through industry and international reports, news articles, and
company websites, Ive determined that the statistical information you requested is not
publicly available because publicly-accessible reports do not break out consumer spending
on Japanese vs. Western furniture. However, I was able to gather high-level data and
trends on the Japanese domestic furniture market and qualitative information about
consumer demand for traditional Japanese-style vs. Western-style furniture. Below you
will find a deep dive of my methodology and findings.
METHODOLOGY
I began with an extensive search for data on the Japanese domestic furniture market,
focusing on any breakdowns by style and furniture type. I particularly looked for
household level information, such as average dollar spend per household on traditional
Japanese vs. Western-style furniture. While I was able to find high-level information on
the furniture market in general, there is no publicly-available data available that broke
down the market by style.
Next, I looked for data on each of the following Japanese-style types of furniture as listed
in this article (20): tatami mats, fusuma (sliding doors), shoji (translucent sliding doors),
byobu/tsuitate (partitions), low tables, zabuton (cushions), and futon. I also looked for data
on built-in or artistic design elements including: ranma (transom above sliding doors),
tenjo (ceiling decoration), chigaidana (built-in-shelves), and tsukeshoin (built-in-desks). I
looked for both average spend and average units bought. No statistical data was available
at the product-level for any of these traditional designs, though I did learn qualitative
information about the continued use of Japanese furniture and furnishings.
Whenever possible I looked for sources from the past two years. However, some useful
sources were from earlier dates, such as an ASEAN (2) report on "Japan's Market for
Interior Furnishing Products: Wooden Furniture & Interior Fabrics" that included relevant
information on household spend per furniture item. Older data is included here when it is
relevant to your question and no later source was available.
A NOTE ON SCOPE
Wonder does limit requests by scope, so I limited my research to your primary requests to

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stay within our scope and provide you a timely response. I have outlined possible avenues
for future research below should you wish to delve into more questions.
HELPFUL FINDINGS
JAPANESE FURNITURE MARKET
In 2015, the Japanese domestic furniture market was worth 700 billion yen (1) (or $5.82
billion U.S. dollars). 25% (1) of the total domestic market was made up of imports; whereas
60% (1) of the wooden furniture market was imported. For comparison, in 2005 the
Japanese domestic furniture market was worth 900 billion yen (1) (or $7.48 billion U.S.
dollars using a 2015 exchange rate to be consistent). At that time 16% (1) of the total
domestic market was made up of imports.
Many sources cite that sales in Japan's domestic wooden furniture market have been "
shrinking (1)" for over a decade. While no specific market size is available for the wooden
furniture market, Japanese traditional furniture would fall into that category. This decline
in domestic wooden furniture production is due to "competition from imports (1)," the
inability of local companies to increase productivity and "upgrade (2)" their methods, and
changing consumer preferences and demographics.
In particular, Japanese companies are increasingly interested in the Chinese and
Vietnamese furniture market as well as those of other ASEAN countries with tropical
woods. For example, in 2015 China's "exports of bedroom furniture to Japan accounted
for 57% (1) of the total wooden bedroom furniture imports;" Vietnam was next at 28% (1).
It is reasonable to assume that imported wooden furniture is replacing what was
previously traditional Japanese wooden furniture.
Though I could not find specific breakdowns for Japanese vs. Western-style furniture, it is
reasonable to assume that as the share of imported wooden furniture increases, there is
likely a related decrease in demand for traditional Japanese furniture. Moreover, not all
wooden furniture made by Japanese companies is necessarily in the traditional style. For
instance, Japan's top furniture supplier, Nitori (14), focuses on achieving the "affluence of
Western homes." After touring the United States in the 1980's, the President of Nitori
noticed that Japan's furniture was much different from the West, terming Japan an "
impoverished nation (15) in terms of residential lifestyle." As such, the share of traditional
wooden furniture may be decreasing even more so as major Japanese companies like
Nitori produce more Western-style furniture in comparison to traditional furnishings.
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CONSUMER PREFERENCES AND DEMOGRAPHICS - SHIFT TO IMPORTS AND

WESTERN STYLES
Per the 2010 ASEAN report, 60% (2) of the Japanese furniture market is home-use and
40% (2) is "contract" or business use. This means that consumer demand for furniture has
played an important role on industry trends.
A main trend influencing furniture demand is the increase in one-person households and
young professionals "shying away (1)" from early marriages. In the past, marriage was a
major driver of Japan's traditional furniture market, as it was customary for the parents of
the bride to gift the couple a "three-piece furniture set (1) consisting of a wardrobe, a
Japanese-style chest of drawers, and a dressing table." Now, Western-style drawers are
replacing traditional pieces and as apartments are smaller (1) than traditional homes,
demand for wardrobes has disappeared in favor of built-in storage/closet space. As such,
changing demographics and preferences have "upended (1)" historical demand for
traditional wooden furniture.
Moreover, there has been a major shift in Japanese consumer behavior. For decades,
Japanese consumers were willing to pay (7) for high quality domestic products. However,
in recent years, Japanese consumers have been "flocking (7)" to online, discount, and large
international stores like Ikea. Interestingly, in the 1970's (16) Ikea failed to capture the
Japanese market and pulled out of the country. However, in the following decades major
changes occurred in Japanese use of Western-style furniture; for example, by 1991 70% (3)
of households used Western-style tables and chairs.
After twenty years, Ikea re-entered a very different Japanese market in 2006, (2) and it
has subsequently been extremely successful. Today, Ikea is a top player in the Japanese
furniture market alongside Nitori. In 2014, Nitori held 11% (6) of the domestic furniture
market (approximately $663 million that year); Ikea's 2014 sales were $646 million (6).
The "diversification (4)" of consumer preferences has been "well beyond the capabilities"
of the local Japanese traditional industry, leading to higher imports and increasing sales of
Western-style furniture.
CONSUMER PREFERENCES AND DEMOGRAPHICS - CONTINUED DEMAND FOR
TRADITIONAL STYLES
While there are many indicators of Japanese consumers moving towards Western-style
furniture, Japanese traditional furniture remains a main-stay of Japanese homes and is
unlikely to be entirely replaced any time soon largely due to architectural constraints and
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continued consumer desire to have traditional pieces. The average size of Japanese
homes/apartments remains small at an average 94.9 square meters (6) and with an
average of 4.6 rooms (6). While companies may offer Western-style products, furniture
pieces are simply too big or heavy for the typical Japanese home. Though demand for
tatami mats has decreased 30% (9) over the past decade, many homes still have them.
Indeed, tatami mats are still often used as a unit of measurement (10) to indicate
apartment sizes. Large and heavy Western furniture may not fit or would damage the mats.
Today, "contemporary Japanese homes (11) often mix traditional and Western elements"
and new homes are "hybrids (11)" with Western-style dining and sitting rooms, but with
traditional Japanese pieces like sliding doors, areas with tatami mats, and Japanese-style
baths. Most Japanese homes, even the most modern, have a "Japanese Room (12)" with
traditional tatami mats. Despite Western touches, this hybrid approach is quintessentially
Japanese, ensuring both continuity and comfort (11).
As such, it is clear that there is continued demand for traditional Japanese furniture due
to its size and cultural significance.
MORE ON HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURES
Unfortunately, I could not find a breakdown of how much Japanese households spend on
average on Western vs. traditional Japanese furniture or on specific Japanese furniture
pieces. However, I was able to gather some data on their general furniture spends.
Per the OECD, Japanese consumers spend "22% (17) of their gross adjusted disposable
income" on rent, utilities, and furniture. A Japanese government survey found that in
November 2016, Japanese households spent on average 17,350 Yen (13) ($148) on "
furniture and household utensils. (13)" Estimating over a year, this equates to 208,220 Yen
($1,776).
The 2010 ASEAN report (2) is the most recent publicly-available source that provides a
more detailed breakdown of Japanese consumers' spend on furniture. Though it may now
be outdated, I include relevant numbers here for reference.
In 2008, the average Japanese consumer spent the following on:
General Furniture: 5,203 Yen (2)

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Interior Furnishings & Decorations: 8,955 Yen (2)

Bed/bed clothing: 7,435 Yen (2)
Breaking it down further, in 2008 the average Japanese consumer spent the following on:
Chests of drawers: 859 Yen (2)
Dining tables & chairs: 1,110 Yen (2)
Drawing room suites: 1,011 Yen (2)
Sideboards: 758 Yen (2)
Beds: 935 Yen (2)
It is worth noting that between 2004-2008 the average amount spent on chest of
drawers (usually a bridal gift) decreased from 1,262 to 859 (2) Yen, possibly indicating the
switch over to Western-style furniture and certainly the scaling down of bridal furniture
gifts.
Also of interest, in 2004 domestic companies sold 472 million Yen (2) in metal furniture
vs. 170 million Yen (2) in wooden furniture. Metal furniture would certainly be nontraditional while wooden furniture would include traditional styles. By 2008, domestic
companies sold 536 million Yen (2) in metal furniture vs. 162 million Yen (2) in wooden
furniture. The relatively large increase in metal furniture sales over half a decade may
indicate supplier and consumer movement towards Western-style furniture.
PAYWALL SOURCES
There may be additional or more current information on the Japanese furniture market
behind paywalls. Potential sources include:
"The 2013 Japan Furniture (18) Outlook"
"Japan Home Furnishing Market (19): Size, Trends, and Forecasts (2016-2020)"
POSSIBLE CONTINUED RESEARCH
In understanding what types of information are and are not publicly available on this topic,
Ive suggested a few other routes you may be interested in researching:
1) Due to the scope of this research, I did not dig further into furniture companies beyond
Nitori and Ikea. Further research could conduct a competitive analysis of the major
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furniture companies in Japan. You could investigate both major companies like Nitori and
Ikea and in a second question, companies only focused on traditional Japanese-style
furniture.
2) I provided some information regarding imports and trade data here, but further
research could look into the major countries that export furniture to Japan, what styles
they create, and the background of why Japan turned to imports (it appears to be due to
forestry (4) limitations in Japan and consumer preferences (7)).
3) You may be interested in an overview of traditional Japanese furniture techniques and
how they have changed in recent decades.
CONCLUSION
To wrap it up, after searching extensively through industry and international reports, news
articles, and company websites, a direct answer to your question is not publicly available
because publicly-accessible reports do not break out consumer spending on Japanese vs.
Western furniture or specific Japanese furniture types. However I learned that the
Japanese furniture market is increasingly becoming Westernized and dependent on
wooden furniture imports. That said, there is continued demand for traditional Japanese
style furniture due to consumer preferences and home size limitations. As the old
Japanese saying goes, "may you live and die on tatami (12)."
If youd like to continue research on any of the other topics Ive outlined above, just let us
know! Thanks for using Wonder!

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SOURCES

1) Japan Wood Products Prices Report 01 15th February 2016

http://www.globalwood.org/market/timber_prices_2016/aaw20160201c.htm

2) Japan's market for interior furnishing products

http://www.asean.or.jp/en/trade/lookfor/top/market/pdf/jmifp-2010-3.pdf/at_download/file

3) Rice and Staple Food

http://www.worldhistory.biz/sundries/48232-rice-and-staple-food.html

4) International Wooden Furniture Markets A review

http://www.fao.org/forestry/23523-0f14bba18f78fa30aed5fcceaa0f41f69.pdf

5) Home Furnishings in Japan

http://www.euromonitor.com/home-furnishings-in-japan/report

6) A Look at Japans Furniture Market

http://www.buyusa.gov/japan/build/groups/public/@bg_jp/documents/webcontent/bg_jp_092181.pdf

7) The new Japanese consumer

http://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/the-new-japanese-consumer

8) 1-15 February 2016 | The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO)

http://www.itto.int/mis_detail/id=4696

9) The demise of traditional Japanese tatami flooring?

http://en.rocketnews24.com/2014/05/21/the-demise-of-tatami-mat-flooring/

10) Celebrate the Differences (Part 2): What's a Japanese Apartment Like?
http://www.thejapanguy.com/celebrate-the-differences-part-2-whats-a-japanese-apartment-like/

11) East Meets West in 3 Modern Japanese Homes

http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/52654391/list/east-meets-west-in-3-modern-japanese-homes

12) Business of Aging

http://thebusinessofaging.com/category/business-of-aging/

13) Statistics Bureau Home Page/Summary of the Latest Month on Family Income and
Expenditure Survey
http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/kakei/156.htm

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14) Nitori Net

http://www.nitori-net.jp/store/ja/ec/

15) Nitori Corporate Information 2014-2015

http://www.nitori.co.jp/en/ir/pdf/2014/2014-2015Corporate_Information.pdf

16) Ikeas failure and success on the Japanese market

http://pure.au.dk/portal-asb-student/files/7566/Afhandlinger

17) OECD Better Life Index

http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/countries/japan/

18) Japan Furniture Outlook

https://www.worldfurnitureonline.com/research-market/japan-furniture-outlook-0058499.html

19) Japan Home Furnishing Market (2016-2020) - Market Research Reports India Research and Consulting Firm, Business Research Reports, Market Research Reports
India, Research Reports India
http://www.daedal-research.com//japan-home-furnishing-market-size-trends-and-forecasts-2016-2020

20) Traditional Japanese style tatami rooms

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2007.html

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