Rakuten Announces Top Rankings
Across Services for 2014

TOKYO, November 18, 2013 – Rakuten, Inc. today announced the Rakuten 2013 Annual Rankings for its main Internet service sites. This year Rakuten compiled rankings for all six of its core Internet services, including Rakuten Ichiba, Rakuten Books, Rakuten Kobo eBookstore, Rakuten Travel, Rakuten GORA, and Rakuten Recipe.

Rakuten Ichiba continued to see the same popular products of Crystal Geyser mineral water and Scalp-D medicated scalp shampoo for men appear at the top of the rankings. The original book that was adapted into the popular television drama series Hanzawa Naoki took the top spot for Rakuten Books, while the Hanzawa Naoki series also occupied rankings one through three on the Rakuten Kobo eBookstore. The ranking of popular hot springs destinations on Rakuten Travel was dominated by the Mt. Fuji area, which was recently registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As for Rakuten GORA, golf courses with the best cost performance dominated the top of the rankings. Meanwhile, Character-bento occupied the top of Rakuten Recipe’s keyword search rankings.

The annual rankings for each service are provided below.

Crystal Geyser and Scalp-D dominate the rankings once again
Website: https://ranking.rakuten.co.jp/yearly/

Tabulation Period
September 25, 2012 to September 24, 2013

1st  Crystal Geyser
2nd  Medicated Scalp-D Oily Shampoo (For Oily Hair) 
3rd  Enzyme Diet Cosmic Enzyme
4th  Enzyme Diet Fasty Placenta 100,000
5th  Medicated Scalp-D Pack Conditioner (For All Hair)
6th  Mirai no Koso
7th  Crystal Geyser
8th  Crystal Geyser
9th  99% Water Super Baby Wipes
10th  Medicated Scalp-D Scalp Jet

◆Observations◆
Crystal Geyser, which ranked in at first, seventh, and eighth, and Scalp-D, in second, fifth, and tenth, both dominated the rankings as they did last year. Enzyme foods, which came in fourth and tenth last year, were third, fourth, and sixth this year, indicating consumer’s growing inclination toward their personal health.
Looking at the rankings back to 30^th we find that more and more consumers are buying daily essentials online such as rice, contact lenses, and pet foods, which are all ranked here. At the same time, revolutionary never-before-seen home electronics and sundries, such as nonfryers, yonanas, and raycop cleaner, showed that they are gaining in popularity.

The original book adapted into popular TV drama Hanzawa Naoki took the top spot!
A number of other books adapted into movies also ranked in the top 10
Website: http://books.rakuten.co.jp/event/best/

Tabulation Period
January 1, 2013 to October 20, 2013

1st  Oretati Bubble Nyukogumi / Jun Ikeido
2nd  Eien no Zero / Naoki Hyakuta
3rd  30nichi de Kirei na Ji ga Kakeru Penji Renshucho
4th  Dekiru Otona no Mono no IIkata Taizen
5th  Isha ni Korosarenai 47 no Kokoroe / Makoto Kondo
6th  Oretati Hana no Bubble gumi / Jun Ikeido
7th  Shikisai wo Motanai Tazaki Tsukuru to Kare no Junrei no Toshi/ Haruki Murakami
8th  Hisho no Tori Junikokuki / Fuyumi Ono
9th  Manatsu no Houteishiki / Keigo Higashino
10th  Kiduitara Daredemo Dokumoijyou no Kao ni Nareru Make Book

◆Observations◆
The top ranking goes to the original book adapted into one of the most popular TV dramas of 2013, Hanzawa Naoki. The sixth book from the second edition of the same series was also in the rankings, indicating just how popular it has become.
Second, Eien no Zero, will be made into a movie, with the release date slated for December, 2013.
Third, 30nichi de Kirei na Ji ga Kakeru Penji Renshucho, fourth, Dekiru Otona no Mono no IIkata Taizen, and fifth, Isha ni Korosarenai 47 no Kokoroe, appeared quite frequently on television and in the media, creating quite a buzz.

Hanzawa Naoki occupies the top three slots!
Comic Shingeki no Kyojin Attack on Titan dominates the rest of the top 10
Website: https://kobo.rakuten.co.jp/event/camp-ranking2013/

Tabulation Period
January 1, 2013 to October 15, 2013

1st  Loss-gene no Gyakusyu / Jun Ikeido
2nd  Oretati Bubble Nyukogumi / Jun Ikeido
3rd  Oretati Hana no Bubble gumi / Jun Ikeido
4th  Shingeki no Kyojin - Attack on Titan No. 1 / Hajime Isayama
5th  Shingeki no Kyojin - Attack on Titan No. 11 / Hajime Isayama
6th  Shingeki no Kyojin - Attack on Titan No. 10 / Hajime Isayama
7th  Shingeki no Kyojin - Attack on Titan No. 9 / Hajime Isayama
8th  Shingeki no Kyojin - Attack on Titan No. 8 / Hajime Isayama
9th  Shingeki no Kyojin - Attack on Titan No. 2 / Hajime Isayama
10th  Shingeki no Kyojin - Attack on Titan No. 7 / Hajime Isayama

◆Observations◆
Overall number one Loss-gene no Gyakusyu showed explosive growth in popularity during the tabulation period (January 1 to October 15, 2013), despite being released at the end of August 2013. Second and third, Oretati Bubble Nyukogumi and Oretati Hana no Bubble gumi, are also part of the original Hanzawa Naoki series, demonstrating just how well-liked the series was in 2013.
Shingeki no Kyojin - Attack on Titan, which occupied spots four through ten in the rankings, earned the top rankings for the comic series rankings. This dominance was made possible because sales of the entire series have risen sharply following its release as an animated movie, and the latest installment was released simultaneously in print and digital versions.

Mt. Fuji area features predominantly in top ten after becoming World Heritage Site
Website: https://travel.rakuten.co.jp/onsen/ranking/

Tabulation Period
June 2, 2013 to November 5, 2013

Ranking/Hot Springs/Location
1st         Hakone/Kanagawa Prefecture
2nd        Atami/Shizuoka Prefecture
3rd         Nasu/Tochigi Prefecture
4th         Kinugawa/Tochigi Prefecture
5th         Beppu/Oita Prefecture
6th         Ito/Shizuoka Prefecture
7th         Shirahama/Wakayama Prefecture
8th         Kusatsu/Gunma Prefecture
9th         Dogo/Ehime Prefecture
10th       Ikaho/Gunma Prefecture

◆Observations◆
Hakone Hot Springs in first, and Atami Hot Springs in second, remained in the same position as last year’s rankings, as hot springs in and around the Mt. Fuji area were well visited after it was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The top two spots are some of Japan’s most famous and popular because they are located in Kanagawa Prefecture and Shizuoka Prefecture, respectively, providing easy access from the Greater Tokyo Metropolitan Area, and they offer close-up views of Mt. Fuji from around the lodging area. 
With Mt. Fuji becoming a World Heritage Site, Japan’s other World Heritage Sites have gained in popularity as more people want to visit. Nasu Hot Springs in Tochigi Prefecture and near the World Heritage Site at Nikko ranked in at third, while Kinugawa Hot Springs, which is also close to Nikko, moved up from sixth last year to fourth this year.
Beppu Hot Springs came in at fifth thanks to aggressive marketing by Oita Prefecture, who emphasized the fact that they are home to the largest number of hot springs in Japan.
Sixth through tenth included Ito, Shirahama, Kusatsu, and Dogo hot springs, which always find their way into the rankings, in addition to newcomer Ikaho Hot Springs. Generally, the effects of Mt. Fuji’s World Heritage Site status have brought back the popularity of hot springs in the Northern Kanto region.

Cost performance impacts rankings
Website: https://gora.golf.rakuten.co.jp/doc/special/2013/rank/

Tabulation Period
January 1, 2013 to October 31, 2013

Ranking/Golf Course/Location
1st         Nasu Ogawa Golf Club/Tochigi Prefecture
2nd        Camel Golf Resort /Chiba Prefecture
3rd         Nara Hakuho Country Club/Nara Prefecture
4th         Meihan Chisan Country Club/Mie Prefecture
5th         Prestige Country Club/Tochigi Prefecture
6th         Kokusai Ladies Golf Club/Chiba Prefecture
7th         Chiba Shinnihon Golf Club/Chiba Prefecture
8th         Yashiro Country Club/Hyogo Prefecture
9th         Tokyowan Country Club/Chiba Prefecture
10th       Ohara-Onjuku Golf Course/Chiba Prefecture

◆Observations◆
Nasu Ogawa Golf Club makes its third consecutive appearance in the number one spot thanks to its popularity among golfers of all skill levels. It is also well regarded for its reasonable green fees, which can be attributed to its Saturday and Sunday green fees starting at 3,580 yen during the month of January.
Fifth, Prestige Country Club, has gained attention from luxury-minded athletic golfers for its challenging course layout and wide range of country club facilities. It moved up all the way from 63^rd last year to fifth this year.
Tokyowan Country Club is popular for competitions because of its close proximity to Tokyo, being only 7km from the Sodegaura Interchange, and its relatively easy design layout for female and beginner golfers. This course also shot up in the rankings from 99^th last year to ninth this year.
There were five newcomers to the top ten this year, with courses known for their great cost performance among golfers occupying the top spots.

This year’s keyword searches geared toward the themes of
health-consciousness, short preparation time, customizable, and casual
Website: https://recipe.rakuten.co.jp/

Tabulation Period
January 1, 2013 to  October 31, 2013

1st  Character-bento
2nd  Plum juice
3rd  Pancake mix
4th  Eggplant
5th  Squash
6th  Sports festival boxed lunch
7th  Valentine’s day
8th  Barbeque
9th  Party
10th  Potato

◆Observations◆
Character-bento, a boxed lunch made to resemble popular cartoon characters, came in at number one, reflecting demand from mothers with small children.
Most surprising was plum juice, which shot up the rankings to second. In addition to the health boom, it enjoyed explosive popularity during the hot summer months because it is easy to make and easily customizable, as it can be served as a carbonated drink for kids, and mixed with alcohol for adults. 
Barbeque and party reached the top ten for the first time, reflecting demand for casual gatherings and the growing popularity of girls’ get-togethers.
Finally, although nonfryer and canned mackerel did not make it into the top ten, they did see their rankings rise higher in the second half of the year, which reflected the growing traction of the health movement in 2013 and the demand for quick meal preparation times.