Rakuten Announces 2015 First Half Rankings

Tokyo, June 25, 2015 – Rakuten, Inc. today announced the Rakuten 2015 First Half Rankings for its main Internet services. The report includes rankings for Rakuten Ichiba, Rakuten Books, Rakuten Kobo, Rakuten Travel, Rakuten GORA, and Rakuten Recipe.

For Rakuten Ichiba, this first half rankings show that the popular products were daily necessities that people purchase in bulk, like mineral water and disposable contact lenses. Moreover, coconut oil, which has become a hot topic on television and in magazines, made its debut in the top 10. For Rakuten Books, works by the popular music group Arashi made record sales, with five items placing in the top ten. This was the first time that a single artist occupied a majority of the top ten spots. For Rakuten Kobo, three original eBooks placed in the top ten.

Rakuten Travel saw an increase in spring skiers since the Hokuriku Shinkansen began service, helping drive Echigo-Yuzawa Hot Springs in Niigata Prefecture into the top ten for the first time. On Rakuten GORA, golf courses like Kazusa Country Club, which offer a wide variety of plans for users, have become popular.
Rakuten Recipe saw keywords like “kid-friendly,” “delicious cold,” and “potluck” rank highly, demonstrating that people are leveraging gatherings of family and friends as occasions to entertain with home cooking.

- Water, disposable contact lenses, and other daily necessities placed in the top spots -
URL→ https://ranking.rakuten.co.jp/halfterm/

1st    Crystal Geyser 500ml × 48 bottles / Rakuten 24
2nd    Extra Large Boiled Red King Crab / Uminosachi Nanoni YAMATO
3rd    1-Day Acuvue Moist – 90 pack 2 box set / @Contact
4th    Colored Contact Lenses Ever Color 1 Day Natural / Queen Eyes Rakuten Ichiba merchant
5th    99% Water Super Baby Wipes – 100 wipes × 16 boxes /
         Akachan Honpo Rakuten Ichiba merchant
6th    Cosmic Enzyme / Enzyme drink (Enzyme) specialty merchant
7th    Cut Snow Crab 1.2kg / Masuyone, a wholesaler for Echizen crab
8th    Crystal Geyser (500mL*48 bottle pack) / Soukai Drug
9th    Extra Virgin Coconut Oil [3 bottle set] / BeGarden
10th  Coffee shop’s lucky back including 200 cups of coffee/ Sawai Coffee Beans& Leaf

[Tabulation Period] November 16, 2014 to May 15, 2015

◆ Observations ◆
Daily necessities bought in bulk owned the top spots in the ranking, including stalwarts such as Crystal Geyser water, 1-Day Acuvue Moist brand contact lenses and Baby Wipes. Crab, a long-standing gourmet favorite on Rakuten Ichiba, appeared in 2nd and 7th place. Coconut oil, which has seen a surge of interest among mass media, such as on television and magazines, has also caught fire on Rakuten Ichiba, placing in the top 10 (9th overall) for the first time.

- Five Arashi titles placed in the top ten! -
URL→ http://books.rakuten.co.jp/event/firsthalf-ranking/

1st    [DVD / Blu-ray] Arashi / ARASHI BLAST in Hawaii
2nd   [Book] Eiichiro Oda / ONE PIECE (Vol. 77)
3rd    [DVD / Blu-ray] Kanjani8 / Kanjinism LIVE TOUR 2014≫2015
4th    [CD] Arashi / Aozoranoshita Kiminotonari
5th    [CD] Sandaime J Soul Brothers from EXILE TRIBE / PLANET SEVEN
6th    [DVD / Blu-ray] Arashi / ARASHI LIVE TOUR 2014 THE DIGITALIAN [DVD]
7th    [CD] Mr.Children / REFLECTION [Drip]
8th    Shuzou Matsuoka / [Tear-off Calendar] Mainich Shuzo!
         Kokoro wo Genki ni suru Honki no Oen message　　　　　　
9th    [CD] Arashi / Sakura
10th  [DVD / Blu-ray] Arashi / ARASHI LIVE TOUR 2014 THE DIGITALIAN [Blu-ray]

[Tabulation Period] January 1, 2015 –May 31,

◆ Observations ◆
Works by the popular music group Arashi accounted for five of the top ten spots. ARASHI BLAST in Hawaii, a DVD of a live performance commemorating the 15-year anniversary since their debut, took 1st place, with their latest CD single featuring the theme song to the Getsuku drama placing in 4th. ARASHI LIVE TOUR 2014 THE DIGITALIAN, the group’s latest DVD / Blu-ray offering for which pre-orders started on 5/29, recorded outstanding sales and secured ranks 6 and 10 on the strength of only 2 days of sales within the ranking eligibility window. Furthermore, Shuzou Matsuoka’s Tear-off Calendar for Daily Inspiration, Mainich Shuzo!¬—a hot topic of conversation across numerous media outlets for its enthusiastic messages of encouragement—was a huge hit. It hit 8th place, unprecedented for a calendar.

- In addition to popular works, eBook-only works also ranked in the top ten -
URL→ http://books.rakuten.co.jp/event/firsthalf-ranking/

1st    Shingeki no Kyojin - Attack on Titan No. 16 / Hajime Isayama
2nd    The Heroic Legend of Arslan Vol. 3 / Yoshiki Tanaka, Hiromu Arakawa
3rd    Hanashi no Neta ni naru! / Encyclopedia of Etymology / ISM Publishing Lab
4th    Shingeki no Kyojin - Attack on Titan No. 15 / Hajime Isayama
5th    Jibun wo kaeru Kokoro no tusukurikata / ISM Publishing Lab
6th    ONE PIECE Monochrome Edition 76 / Eiichiro Oda
7th    Space Brothers No. 25 / Chuya Koyama
8th    The Seven Deadly Sins No. 12 / Nakaba Suzuki
9th    50 no Kokorogake- I Want to Tell You So You Don’t Regret Your 20s / Yuji Okayama
10th   Weekly Ascii 2015 5/12-19 volume [Special Electronic Edition]
         Weekly Ascii Editorial Department

[Tabulation Period] January 1, 2015- May 31,

◆ Observations ◆
On Rakuten Kobo, while the latest editions of the popular comic Attack on Titan continue to receive overwhelming support, works converted to anime such as The Heroic Legend of Arslan have seen enormous growth in sales. Moreover, three reasonably priced works that are eBook-exclusives have placed in the top ten spots. This is indicative of the fact that a unique content market for eBooks has taken shape, which differs from that for paper books.

- Surge in visitors to Echigo Hot Springs due to the Opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen -
URL→ https://travel.rakuten.co.jp/onsen/ranking/

Ranking    Hot spring                    Location
1st     Atami Hot Spring                 Shizuoka Prefecture
2nd    Beppu Hot Spring                Oita Prefecture
3rd    Kusatsu Hot Spring              Gunma Prefecture
4th    Kinugawa Hot Spring            Tochigi Prefecture　
5th    Ito Hot Spring                         Shizuoka Prefecture　
6th    Shirahama Hot Spring          Wakayama Prefecture
7th    Nasu Hot Spring                    Tochigi Prefecture　
8th    Dogo Hot Spring                    Ehime Prefecture
9th    Akiu Hot Spring                      Miyagi Prefecture
10th  Echigo-Yuzawa Hot Spring    Niigata Prefecture

[Tabulation Period] January 1, 2015 –May 31,

◆ Observations ◆
Atami Hot Spring, famous for having been a favorite of the Tokugawa Shogunate, took the top position. It has been growing in popularity due to its close proximity to the Tokyo Metropolitan Region, and for its appealing tourist attractions and events in the hot spring district. These include Ieyasu no Yu, a footbath established in front of the train station; Hatsushima Island, a resort island that can be reached by a high-speed boat in 25 minutes; and the Atami Waterfront Fireworks Festival, a summer tradition. Kusatsu Hot Spring, which ranked in 3rd place, closed its Netsu-no-Yu Bathhouse temporarily for renovations, and was the topic of much conversation when the renewed bathhouse opened in May. Echigo-Yuzawa Hot Spring, which placed in the top ten, saw an increase in spring skiers as a result of the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen, which was one of the factors behind its strong showing.

- Offering services and courses that golfers prefer are the keys to their popularity -
URL→ https://gora.golf.rakuten.co.jp/doc/special/2015/rank/

Ranking    Golf course                                                                    Location
1st           Kazusa Country Club                                                     Chiba Prefecture
2nd          Sanda Lakeside Country Club                                     Hyogo Prefecture
3rd           Tokyowan Country Club                                                  Chiba Prefecture
4th           Higashi Tsukuba Country Club                                     Ibaraki Prefecture
5th           Central Golf Club                                                             Ibaraki Prefecture
6th           Manago Country Club                                                    Tochigi Prefecture　
7th           Seta Golf Courses: East Course / West Course      Shiga Prefecture
8th           Shinmusashigaoka Golf Course                                Saitama Prefecture
9th           Chiba Shinnihon Golf Club                                           Chiba Prefecture
10th         Hanao Country Club                                                      Chiba Prefecture
  
[Tabulation Period] January 1, 2015 –May 29,

◆ Observations ◆
Kazusa Country Club ranked in 1st, continuing from its ranking in 2014. The opening of the Ichihara Tsurumai IC and the Mobarachonan IC on the Metropolitan Inter-City Expressway improved access to golf courses in Chiba Prefecture, and reasonable plan offerings both appear to have contributed to their enduring popularity. Sanda Lakeside Country Club in 2nd place has garnered attention for its quality greens and the fact that golfers can view course data and strategic pointers by using the GPS equipped with every cart. It is overwhelmingly popular in the Kansai Region. Tokyowan Country Club, which ranked 3rd, has become popular due to its excellent access via the Aqua-Line. 6th-ranked Manago Country Club has become popular for its variegated layout designed by Arnold Palmer, and has risen in the ranks significantly. Hanao Country Club in 10th place has continued to attract repeat golfers due to its beautiful scenery and by virtue of the fact that it has established numerous difficult courses that are preferred by advanced players.

- “Onigirazu” took the top spot for the first time! Recipe searches for occasions where people can entertain family and friends with home cooking were immensely popular -
URL→ https://recipe.rakuten.co.jp/sp2/rank/2015halfterm/

Ranking    Keyword
1st             Onigirazu
2nd            Izakaya menu
3rd             Dashi soy sauce
4th             Thick-cut pork roast
5th             Tofu cream
6th             Kid-friendly
7th             Cabbage
8th             Japanese pepper leaves
9th             Delicious cold
10th           Potluck

[Tabulation Period] January 1, 2015 –May 31,

◆Observations◆
Since becoming a hot topic last fall, “onigirazu” has become popular among a wide range of people for its simplicity and practicality. As such, it appeared in the rankings for the first time, taking 1st place. In addition to “izakaya menu” (2nd), which was also in a top spot in the 2014 annual rankings, keywords like “kid-friendly” (6th), “delicious cold” (9th), and “potluck” (10th) made their debut in the rankings. This hints at people starting to search for recipes for occasions where they can entertain family and friends with home cooking. “Dashi soy sauce” (3rd), where flavoring is added to soy sauce, and low-calorie “tofu cream” (5th) have been garnering attention as simple, all-purpose flavorings.