TOKYO: With the “chugen” summer gift-giving season approaching, Japanese department stores are offering food items that they believe will look attractive at parties and informal gatherings.

Department stores expect consumers to have more opportunities to get together with friends and family members this summer as coronavirus cases are decreasing at the moment.

They have also expanded lineups of delicacies for customers to enjoy at home amid a continued trend to refrain from eating out.

Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings Ltd. is offering a selection of frozen foods, including boxes of home-grown eel on rice priced at 5,400 yen for two servings, and a set featuring Asian dishes such as fried rice and a Thai basil stir-fry with rice, also priced at 5,400 yen for five servings.

The products are “ideal for potluck parties,” an Isetan Mitsukoshi official said.

Takashimaya Co. sells products good for parties with friends and camping trips, such as a set of paella ingredients priced at 6,185 yen.

It is also offering a frozen fancy cake with a princess figure for 4,987 yen. The cake “will help liven up a gathering,” a Takashimaya official said.

Sogo & Seibu Co. also expects strong demand for pricey items of over 20,000 yen. The company is offering T-bone steaks of high-end “kuroge wagyu” Japanese beef for 21,600 yen per set.

Matsuya Co. is focusing on gift assortments such as cooking oil and beer, whose prices are on the rise.

Traditionally, assortments of beer, Western confectionary and catalogs from which to choose gifts have sold well as summer gifts at department stores.

JIJI Press