Apple Store Seemingly Opening in Japan's Second-Largest City

[jchap]

Seems astonishing that Apple would not already have a store in Japan's SECOND LARGEST CITY. Does anyone know if there's a practical reason that this is coming so (apparently) late in the game?

It’s still Japan. It’s not as cutting edge as people assume. There cant be that much demand for Apple, or they would have Apple stores in all the major cities here.

Apple products, especially the iPhone lineup are quite popular in Japan, so it's not so much a matter of product demand as it is Apple strategy.

Geographically speaking, Yokohama is much closer to Tokyo than you would think, thus Apple customers who feel that they absolutely need to go to the official stores can simply make the 30-minute train ride to Tokyo.

In Japan (and perhaps in many other countries), Apple tends to open their official stores in places that offer a high degree of foot traffic and brand recognition. Since Apple already sells their entire product lineup in major electronics retailers in Japan (such as Bic Camera, Edion, Yodobashi Camera and so forth) as well as online retail outlets like Amazon and members-only stores like Costco Japan, not to mention heavy carrier coverage for the iPhone lineup by Au/Softbank/Docomo/Rakuten/UQ and the like, the official Apple Stores are more for show as token placeholders that attract customers in high-profile zones, rather than as serious retail hubs that push product. Customers who need support in Japan typically go online or use phone support, and the authorized retailers here generally also offer Apple support to some degree as part of their branding. (Support is typically pretty swamped in the Apple Stores—they simply do not have enough stores to adequately cover customers who want personalized help. The so-called "Genius Bars" here always a mob scene...)

As for computers, Windows still holds a strong share in Japan (apparently around 68% in 2025) as opposed to macOS (around 12%). The prices of Macs have risen significantly within the past few years as a result of the weak yen against the USD, which also does not bode well for the immediate future of Mac sales in Japan. However, the Neo is selling pretty well from the looks of it, with shipping delays from 1–2 weeks as of June 2026. It's hard to say how much of a dent Apple is really making in Windows PC sales in Japan, though. They've established an excellent foothold in the smartphone market in Japan, and iPads are still selling well (many schools in Japan have iPads now), but computers are a different story. It's going to be tough going forward for Apple, and just opening a new Apple Store in Yokohama is not going to move the needle much, I don't think.