Tokyo, Nov. 12 (Jiji Press)--Japanese variety goods retailer Hands Inc.'s Shibuya store in Tokyo, which has been a popular destination for 48 years, offering shoppers new discoveries among its roughly 100,000 products in a maze-like building, will close on Sunday.
The "Hands" logo on the store's exterior was replaced with "Thanks" on Oct. 30 as a gesture of gratitude to customers.
The store originally opened as an outlet of Tokyu Hands Inc., the predecessor of Hands, in 1978. It is known for its distinctive spiral layout linking 24 sales areas from the second basement floor to the seventh floor, designed to follow the area's sloped terrain.
Although the store has long been one of the landmarks of Tokyo's Shibuya district, it is closing due to the expiration of its lease and the aging of the building. The store has been holding a sale since Oct. 16.
A 55-year-old self-employed man who said he had been visiting the store since it opened expressed sadness over its closure.
A sign reading "Thanks," photographed Thursday, is displayed on the exterior of Hands' Shibuya Store in place of the company logo ahead of the store's closure on Sunday.
Messages left by customers at Hands' Shibuya Store in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward on Thursday[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]