Hoteiya department store, Shinjuku, Tokyo, 1929.

The grand opening of the new Hoteiya department store, Shinjuku, Tokyo, November 1929, three years after becoming one of the first department stores to be located in then-suburban Shinjuku, first opening there in January 1926, preceding the appearance of Mitsukoshi-Shinjuku (1929) and Isetan (1933).

“Shinjuku [in the 1920s] was not only the gateway for new suburban commuters, but also a growing market for their shopping needs.

“Along the main street were four department stores … all occupying tall ferro-concrete buildings that dominated the landscape of the area. Niko department store was the site of a Mitsukoshi branch from 1925 until Mitsukoshi moved to a new building site [of its own in 1929], eight stories above ground and three below. Hoteiya of 1926 would be joined immediately to the west by Isetan in 1933, which in turn absorbed Hoteiya shortly thereafter. Matsuya (no kin to the famous Matsuya on the Ginza), located above the Keio terminal, folded soon after, unable to compete.”

– Cartographic Japan: A History in Maps, edited by Karen Wigen, Sugimoto Fumiko & Cary Karacas, 2016

Hoteiya department store, Shinjuku, Tokyo, 1933 (Showa 8). Hoteiya’s location on Shinjuku-dori is marked by its intersection with a red ring-road encompassing much of the city; black lines trace the major city railways and stations. Several notable landmarks are illustrated, including Waseda University, Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery, Tokyo Central Station, and the Imperial Diet.