Rakuten Announces Top Rankings
Across Services for 2014

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.

- 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.

- Frozen (MovieNEX) is no. 1, and the soundtrack CD takes 7^th 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

- 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.

- 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 123^rd 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.

- “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 9^th and “soy pulp powder” in 10^th 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.