Tokyo, November 25, 2014 – Rakuten, Inc. today announced the “Rakuten 2014 Annual Rankings”, the compiled rankings for Rakuten Ichiba, Rakuten Books, Rakuten Travel, Rakuten GORA, and Rakuten Recipe for 2014.
At Rakuten Ichiba, usual bestsellers such as Scalp-D medicated scalp shampoo for men and Crystal Geyser mineral water were displaced from the top of the rankings by the Disney animated film Frozen (MovieNEX), handled by Rakuten Books. At Rakuten Books, the Frozen soundtrack also ranked No. 1 in the CD category. Atami Hot Spring took the No. 1 spot for the first time in Rakuten Travel’s popular hot spring destinations, buoyed by travellers from the Tokyo area and overseas. Rakuten GORA’s golf course rankings were affected by the quality of access from central Tokyo. In the Rakuten Recipe search keyword rankings, “nonfryer,” was the top search term for the first time.
The year’s rankings for each service are provided below.
- Rakuten, Inc.
Rakuten Announces Top Rankings
Across Services for 2014
Rakuten Ichiba - Top Sellers in 2014
- Frozen (MovieNEX) was no. 1 by a wide margin, joined in the top 10 by products bought in bulk ahead of the consumption tax hike -
Website: https://ranking.rakuten.co.jp/yearly/
■Calculation period
September 25, 2013 to September 24, 2014
1st Frozen (MovieNEX)/Rakuten Books
2nd Medicated Scalp-D Oily Shampoo (For Oily Hair)/Angfa Store
3rd Crystal Geyser/Soukai Drug Co., Ltd.
4th Enzyme Diet Cosmic Enzyme/Enzyme drinks specialty store
5th King Crab Legs 1kg pack/Yamato, Inc.
6th Mineral Enzyme Green Smoothie/Natural Healthy Standard
7th Crystal Geyser/Kenko.com
8th 99% Water infant wipes/Akachanhonpo Rakuten Ichiba store
9th Crystal Geyser/Rakuten24
10th 1 Day Acuvue Moist Contact Lenses 90 pack – 2-box set/@CONTACT
■Observations
As a result of its unprecedented popularity, usual bestsellers such as Scalp-D medicated scalp shampoo for men and Crystal Geyser mineral water were displaced from the top of the annual rankings in 2014 by the Disney animated film Frozen (MovieNEX). More than usual, daily items such as contact lenses and mineral water surged into the top 30 as consumers purchased in bulk ahead of the consumption tax hike in April. As was the case last year, the deep-rooted popularity of health food products has continued: a number of enzyme-related products made the top 30, with the Green Smoothie a newcomer to the top 10 in sixth place. In the beverage category, which always has high-ranking products, a Japan-made carbonated water drink rode the carbonated water boom to join the ever-popular Crystal Geyser in the top 30.
Rakuten Books/Rakuten Kobo 2014 Annual Rankings
- Frozen (MovieNEX) is no. 1, and the soundtrack CD takes 7th place! -
Website: http://books.rakuten.co.jp/event/best-ranking/
■Calculation period
January 1 to October 31, 2014
1st Frozen (MovieNEX) (DVD)
2nd ONE PIECE Vol. 74/Eichiro Oda (Book)
3rd ONE PIECE Vol. 75/Eichiro Oda (Book)
4th ONE PIECE Vol. 73/Eichiro Oda (Book)
5th Arashi/ARASHI Arafes ’13 NATIONAL STADIUM 2013 (DVD)
6th Yo-Kai Watch 2 (Game)
7th Frozen Original Soundtrack (CD)
8th Kanjani∞/KANJANI∞ LIVE TOUR JUKE BOX (DVD)
9th Arashi/ARASHI Live Tour 2013 “LOVE” (DVD)
10th SMAP/Mr.S (First press limited edition 2CD+DVD) (CD)
■Observations
The Frozen (MovieNEX) racked up the highest sales of any release on Rakuten Books in history. Moreover, the CD featuring the movie’s hit songs, the Frozen Original Soundtrack, came in at no. seven overall and no.1 in the CD category. The popular comic book series One Piece, which has sold more than 300 million copies, took second, third and fourth place in the chart, showing its unchanging popularity. At number six is Yo-kai Watch 2, Shinuchi, which despite the upcoming release in December, entered in the top 10 on pre-orders.
For Rakuten Kobo, Shingeki no Kyojin – Attack on Titan continued to occupy the top ranks, and with each new release, the sales of back issues keeps growing. In novels, in addition to Roosevelt Game, which became popular due to the drama series, Icarus – Flying on Silver Wings by Jun Ikeido, released on the same day as the paper version of the long-awaited sequel to the popular Naoki Hanzawa series, showed its overwhelming popularity.
e-Book rankings
1st Shingeki no Kyojin - Attack on Titan No. 13/Hajime Isayama
2nd Shingeki no Kyojin - Attack on Titan No. 14/Hajime Isayama
3rd Roosevelt Game/Jun Ikeido
4th Shingeki no Kyojin - Attack on Titan No. 12/Hajime Isayama
5th Icarus – Flying on Silver Wings/Jun Ikeido
6th Lessons from the Coaching Pros – How to Win Hearts/Arata Okada
7th Best Business People in History 4-book set/Tetsuya Hamamoto
8th Shingeki no Kyojin - Attack on Titan No. 11/Hajime Isayama
9th Shingeki no Kyojin - Attack on Titan No. 10/Hajime Isayama
10th Shingeki no Kyojin - Attack on Titan No. 9/Hajime Isayama
Rakuten Travel 2014 Popular Hot Spring Ranking
- Atami Hot Spring takes the crown for first time, popular among Tokyo residents -
Website: https://travel.rakuten.co.jp/onsen/ranking/
■Calculation period
November 1, 2013 to October 31, 2014
Rank/Hot Spring/Location
1st Atami Hot Spring Shizuoka Prefecture
2nd Beppu Hot Spring Oita Prefecture
3rd Nasu Hot Spring Tochigi Prefecture
4th Shirahama Hot Spring Wakayama Prefecture
5th Ito Hot Spring Shizuoka Prefecture
6th Kusatsu Hot Spring Gunma Prefecture
7th Kinugawa Hot Spring Tochigi Prefecture
8th Dogo Hot Spring Ehime Prefecture
9th Akiu Hot Spring Miyagi Prefecture
10th Gora Hot Spring Kanagawa Prefecture
■Observations
Atami Hot Spring, popular as a destination for quick trips from the capital, took the top spot for the first time. Many of those traveling to Atami Hot Spring live in Kanagawa Prefecture or other areas of the Tokyo region, with a wide clientele ranging from young people to the elderly.
With the recent weakening of the yen and loosening of tourist visa regulations, an increasing numbers of foreign visitors are visiting Japan, and are visiting the top hot spring destinations which are one of Japan’s major attractions.
Rakuten GORA 2014 Popular Golf Course Rankings
- Rankings influenced by ease of access to Tokyo -
Website: https://gora.golf.rakuten.co.jp/doc/special/2014/rank/
■Calculation period
January 1, 2013 to October 31, 2014
Rank/Golf Course/Prefecture
1st Kazusa Country Club/Chiba Prefecture
2nd Tokyowan Country Club/Chiba Prefecture
3rd Camel Golf Resort/Chiba Prefecture
4th Central Golf Club/Ibaraki Prefecture
5th Narahakuho Country Club/Nara Prefecture
6th Chibashinnihon Golf Club/Chiba Prefecture
7th Seta Golf Course, East Course/West Course/Shiga Prefecture
8th Otsu Country Club, East Course/Shiga Prefecture
9th Yamato Kogen Country Club/Nara Prefecture
10th Ohara Onjuku Golf Course/Chiba Prefecture
■Observations
Chiba Prefecture’s Kazusa Country Club netted first place this year for the first time. Its newfound popularity has resulted from the much improved access provided by the extension of the Metropolitan Intercity Expressway from central Tokyo and the wider Kanto region. Otsu Country Club, East Course catapulted its ranking from 123rd last year to ninth this year by aggressively promoting its access and cost.
As a result of the scaling back of commercial offerings among the low-fee golf courses in 2014, courses that are relatively close to Tokyo and highly regarded dominate the ranks.
Rakuten Recipe – 2014 Keyword Search Rankings
- “Nonfryer” on top for the first time! Health conscioustrend is continuing to grow -
Website: https://recipe.rakuten.co.jp/
■Calculation period
January 1 to November 10, 2014
Rank Keyword
1st Nonfryer
2nd Pancake mix
3rd Izakaya menu
4th Sugar Restriction
5th Daikon radish
6th Chestnut
7th Potato
8th Cabbage
9th Tofu
10th Soy pulp powder
■Observations
Recipe searches for the hit home appliance Nonfryer steadily grew from the second half of 2013, now reaching the no. 1 spot for the first time. Ranking third after “Pancake mix,” an established favorite, “izakaya menu” is a clear indication that demand is rising for home dining for economic reasons. Coming in at fourth was “Sugar Restriction,” despite being ranked just outside the top 10 in the first half of the year, and “tofu” in 9th and “soy pulp powder” in 10th underline the continuing health conscious trend. In addition to the stock vegetables such as “daikon radish,” “potato” and “carrot,” seasonal offering “chestnut” rose rapidly up in the ranks.