Although the new school year is not due to start until April, a heated campaign is already under way to sell leather backpacks, desks and clothes for children soon to be first-graders.
Grandparents and other relatives likely to foot the bill could end up shelling out several hundred thousand yen per child. High-priced merchandise remains popular as the number of children in Japan shrinks.
Expensive brand-name backpacks were virtually sold out by the end of November, according to Seibu Department Stores Ltd.'s flagship store in Tokyo's Ikebukuro district.
Backpack sales campaigns peak between mid-December and mid-January, with the best-sellers going for around ¥50,000.
Major backpack maker Kyowa Corp. offers Olivier Fuwari Randoseru backpacks that are popular for their design and ease of use. Its straps are improved to enable children to carry it easily. It is also equipped with a security buzzer. Kyowa's suggested retail price is ¥35,000.
Managing Director Hideo Wakamatsu said his company's manufacturing basics are to think foremost about children and to produce safe backpacks in a variety of colors apart from red, which was popular in the past.
Sales campaigns shift to desks in January. A desk, chair and related items range from ¥200,000 to ¥300,000.
