A Sweet Year for Japan: Bourbon and Castella Fukusaya to Celebrate Landmark Anniversaries in 2024
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According to data collected by Teikoku Databank, 2,019 Japanese companies will celebrate their centennials in 2024. Among the major ones will be Bourbon, Daikin Industries, Takara Tomy, and Nissin Cisco.
In 1924, it was not long since the end of World War I. The postwar depression still lingered when the Great Kantō Earthquake hit on September 1, 1923, so Tokyo and its surrounding metropolitan area were also trying to recover from that disaster a century ago. Companies established in 1924 have since survived the massive upheavals of the 1927 Shōwa financial crisis, the Great Depression, and World War II. These longstanding businesses, which have managed to stay in operation for a century serving society’s needs, deserve recognition.
Main Japanese Companies Celebrating Centennials in 2024
| Daikin Industries (Osaka) | Has the top global share for air conditioners and air conditioning units. |
| Bourbon (Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture) | Produces the popular Lumonde wafer cookies and Alfort chocolate biscuits. |
| Takara Tomy (Katsushika, Tokyo) | Creates toys that captivate children, such as Licca-chan and Tomica. |
| Nissin Cisco (Osaka) | Well-known for its Coconut Sable cookies. |
Created by Nippon.com based on data from Teikoku Databank.
One company celebrating an even larger anniversary is Castella Honke Fukusaya in Nagasaki. Established in 1624 and regarded as the original producer of castella, it will mark its 400th year in 2024. Throughout its history, now sixteen generations long, the firm has been baking the sponge cakes by hand, without the use of a mixer, in order to preserve the traditional taste.
The fashionable specialty apparel store Urban Research, which began as a casual-style jeans shop in Osaka, will have its fiftieth anniversary.
Major Companies Celebrating Anniversaries in 2024
| 400 years: Castella Honke Fukusaya (Nagasaki) |
A long-established business that has preserved its traditional production method. |
| 300 years: Isejin Honsha (Mito, Ibaraki) |
Operates wedding venues and hotels. |
| 200 years: Yamatoya (Kumagaya, Saitama) |
Provides interior construction services and wholesale timber and building materials. |
| 50 years: Urban Research (Osaka, Osaka) |
Operates Urban Research specialty apparel stores. |
| 50 years: Aflac Life Insurance (Shinjuku, Tokyo) |
Provides cancer insurance, medical insurance, and income protection insurance. |
Created by Nippon.com based on data from Teikoku Databank.
(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo: Bourbon’s familiar range of sweets. © Nippon.com.)