In the run-up to the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo, the Odaiba district in Koto Ward is aiming to cater to the needs of the foreign visitors expected to flood their shopping complexes.
Venus Fort, a shopping center operated by Mori Building Co., where 10 to 15 percent of customers are now foreigners — especially Asians — recently bolstered its staff with people who can speak English, Chinese and Korean.
Venus Fort, which has an interior resembling a 17th- to 18th-century European town, and is close to Haneda Airport, has been strengthening support for foreign tourists since it opened 15 years ago.