Marui Kichijoji

(3.5÷5 stars)
Beyond Unilocal 100 Challenge 2015 — 16/​?
Marui (sign is O | O |) Department stores are a chain that has been around for many many years. One look at the exterior and you see design that was common 30 or more years ago.
That said, they’ve been slowly changing with the times to target the young housewife age range where before, it was teens/​college kids. The Kichijoji store, located a quick one minute walk from the south exit of JR/​Keio Kichijoji stations is a mainstay in the area known by most locals.
Highlights:
+ Access: ⁴⁄₅ stars (very easy to find once you exit the station — look for the Inokashira Park Exit in the station)
+ Selection: 3.5÷5 (a lot of recent additions focusing on more specific genres like sports equipment, ¥100 shop (very good — separate Unilocal spot/​Review)), trendy brands, etc.
+ Restaurants: ³⁄₅ (on the first floor, it started with the pancake place (from the US) and recently, Honolulu Coffee joined inside the retail space off to the right. There has always been a crêpe stand outside, but these two inside restaurants give weary shoppers a nice break from shop till you drop). Note: Three stars as they are a bit pricey and overrated. Even for HC, the experience is different from that at their other locations.
+ Service: 3.5÷5 (YMMV — it depends on which shop, and its respective staff, you visit. Overall, however, Japanese retail service tends to be very standardized and courteous. Often a lot of extra effort will be taken when responding to customer inquiries.)
What else? Well, the changes being made are certainly visible and in the right direction. Price points vary by shop and goods being sold, but I can see Marui might have higher customer draw than a couple of the other namesake department stores on the north side of the station. Yes, they are also undergoing change to keep up with the times.
The concept of department store in Japan has been changing over the past 25 years. It will be interesting to see how Marui evolves going forward.
Note: Although the shops inside the store are changing, the exterior design and visible state of upkeep are definitely showing their age. A fresh coat of paint might help, but façade redesign would do wonders to bring the store into the 21^st century.