In short
  • Life has returned to normal after COVID, but some changes stuck: older people are far more digital, and attitudes to work and flexibility have shifted
  • Bargain-first shopping has fallen to 22% of consumers; premium and ‘research-everything’ styles are growing
  • About 60% of women in their teens and twenties have an ‘oshi’ — a person or character they spend money supporting
  • 61% know about generative AI but only 9% use it (around 20% among teens and twenty-somethings)

The report at a glance

Original title
第10回「生活者1万人アンケート調査」
Publisher
Nomura Research Institute (NRI)
Published
January 2025 (news release); full report 31 January 2025
Fieldwork
August 2024; 10,000 people aged 15–79, in-home survey
Language
Japanese
Access
Free, no registration
Open the original release (Japanese) ↗

Key numbers and findings

22%now shop mainly on price — down from earlier surveys
~60%of women aged 10s–20s have an ‘oshi’ they spend on
9%use generative AI, although 61% know of it

Mood and money

  • 11% expect household income to rise (7% in 2021); 30% expect it to fall (33% in 2021).
  • 34% expect the economy to get worse — better than 46% in 2021, but still gloomier than before the pandemic.

Four ways of shopping

NRI groups consumers by style. The share who shop mainly for the lowest acceptable price (yasusa nattoku) fell to 22%, while ‘premium’ consumption (paying more for things one values) and ‘thorough exploration’ (researching extensively before buying) grew. NRI links part of this to oshikatsu — spending time and money supporting a favourite idol, character, athlete or creator.

Leisure and travel

Going out — dining, shopping, entertainment — has recovered to pre-pandemic levels, as has domestic travel. Overseas travel has not.

Generative AI

Awareness of generative AI is 61%, but only 9% use it. About 23% would be happy to shop by talking to an AI assistant, rising to around 40% among people in their teens to thirties.

What it means for companies entering Japan

Our reading

The idea that Japanese consumers only want the cheapest option is out of date. A large part of the market is willing to pay for something it cares about — and will research it carefully first. For Western brands, that rewards detailed product information, genuine craft or heritage stories, and reviews, rather than headline discounts.

Oshikatsu is worth understanding even if you are not in entertainment. Collaborations, limited editions and anything that lets fans show support can move surprising volumes in Japan.

Finally, the AI numbers are a reminder that Japan is still a search-and-social market for most people. AI-led discovery is growing among the young, but it is not yet the main route to customers.

How to read the original

The release summarises the headlines; NRI's knowledge pages carry a longer PDF report (in Japanese) with charts by age and gender. NRI also publishes books based on the survey, which go into more depth.

Open the original release (Japanese) ↗

This is an independent summary by Japan Business Insider. Figures are taken from the original publication; the interpretation in “Our reading” is our own. Please check the original before quoting figures.

Japan Business InsiderBorn and raised in Japan, based in the UK for 30 years. I help Western brands read, enter and grow in the Japanese market — trend intelligence, localisation, social and search — reading the original Japanese sources every day.