Rakuten Announces 2016 First Half Rankings

Tokyo, June 27, 2016 – Rakuten, Inc. today announced the Rakuten 2016 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, the number one position in the first half rankings belongs to the plant-derived Botanist hair care product, which also topped the annual rankings for 2015. For Rakuten Books, the top slot belongs to the popular manga series One Piece, indicating its strong and enduring popularity. Atami Hot Spring in Shizuoka Prefecture ranked number one in Rakuten Travel’s hot spring destination rankings and Kazusa Country Club topped Rakuten GORA’s golf course rankings. Both locations have also earned the top slot in the annual rankings in these categories for two years running. In the Rakuten Recipe search keyword rankings, “izakaya menu” became the top search item for the first time after ranking near the top in previous years.

Details of the first half rankings are below.

Hugely popular botanical shampoo/conditioner captured the top spot!
URL： https://ranking.rakuten.co.jp/halfterm/

[Tabulation Period] December 1, 2015 –April 30, 2016
*Tabulated using a proprietary method based on sales amounts and volumes within Rakuten Ichiba, data from merchants, and trend information.

Observations
The plant-based Botanist hair care product won first place, following a similar finish in the 2015 annual rankings, thanks to its strongly-rooted popularity. Additionally, the top ten featured other health and beauty-related products, including Mineral Enzyme Green Smoothie in 3rd and Cosmic Enzyme diet drink in 10th. The top ten also featured daily products sold in bulk, such as Crystal Geyser bottled water in 4th and 5th and Medalist One Day Plus contact lenses in 2nd as well as Extra Large Boiled Red King Crab in 9th, which is a popular item on Rakuten Ichiba’s gourmet food offerings. The authentic osechi-ryori cuisine Japanese and Western style combo was highly acclaimed for offering authentic osechi-ryori cuisine that can easily be prepared and enjoyed at home.

Popular manga series One Piece on top Johnny’s and EXILE TRIBE battle it out for top CD
URL： http://books.rakuten.co.jp/event/firsthalf-ranking/

[Tabulation Period] January 1, 2016 –May　31, 2016
*Tabulated using a proprietary method based on sales volumes within Rakuten Books

Observations
The top slot belongs to the popular manga series One Piece, which is a staple in the top 10 in every ranking, indicating its strong and enduring popularity. For this ranking, Johnny’s groups, which typically have a large number of top selling albums, battled for the top CD spot together with EXILE TRIBE, which had two albums make the ranking. Movies and dramas in which members from both groups star are becoming popular, demonstrating the groups’ appeal not only in music, but also in the field of acting as well, suggesting that both groups are set to dominate the rankings going forward. In 7th was Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which was released in December 2015 marking the first new installment in the franchise in 10 years. 

Shingeki no Kyojin ranked 1st and 2nd, plus other titles popular online 
URL： https://ranking.rakuten.co.jp/halfterm/kobo/

[Tabulation Period] Nov 1, 2015–Apr 30, 2016
*Tabulated using a proprietary method based on sales volumes within Rakuten Kobo eBooks Store

Observations
Popular comic series Shingeki no Kyojin – Attack on Titan ranked both 1st and 2nd. The latest installment in The Town Where Only I am Missing, a science fiction and suspense comic whose anime and live action movie versions are currently enjoying great popularity, cracked the top 10 for the very first time. Meanwhile, Tomei na Yurikago, a comic starring a nurse in residency at an obstetrics and gynecology clinic, became an internet sensation for its episodes about giving birth depicted from the author’s actual experience working part-time at an obstetrics and gynecology clinic and also received rave reviews. Downtown Rocket 2, released at the same time as its drama aired, ranked 9th, becoming the only literary work to crack the top 10.

Atami Hot Spring ranked at the top for the third consecutive year; hot springs in the Kansai and Tohoku regions enjoy a rising popularity
URL： https://travel.rakuten.co.jp/mytrip/ranking/onsen/

[Tabulation Period] January 1, 2016 –May 31, 2016
*Tabulated based on the number of overnight stays during the period

Observations
Atami Hot Spring in Shizuoka Prefecture, which captured the top spot two years running in the 2014 and 2015 annual rankings, once again ranked in at number one. Atami Hot Spring is known for being a slightly alkaline spring with gentle water that is easy on the skin. Shirahama Hot Spring of Wakayama Prefecture, which moved up two spots from the previous first half to 4th, is one of the Kansai region’s most famous hot springs. The reason for its popularity includes its location overlooking the ocean and its “hot spring ladder” where you can enjoy six public hot springs and nine footbaths, among other facilities. Akiu Hot Spring in Miyagi Prefecture moved up three spots from the previous first half to 6th. The number of reservations for hot spring inns spiked sharply following the issuance of “Furusato travel coupons” until February of this year. This hot spring is also considered one of the top three in all of Japan and popular as “the inner parlor of Sendai.” 

Two golf facilities in Western Japan newly made the top 10
URL： https://gora.golf.rakuten.co.jp/doc/special/2016/rank/

[Tabulation Period] January 1, 2016 –May 30, 2016
*Number of users

Observations
Kazusa Country Club (Chiba Prefecture) ranked 1st, as Chiba Prefecture’s Ichihara City area and its many popular golf courses maintained a strong presence thanks to convenient locations and reasonable package plans. Higashi Tsukuba Country Club (Ibaraki Prefecture) came in 2nd with a high overall ranking for its customer service and meals. Two golf courses in Western Japan cracked the top 10 in this ranking. Kamo Country Club (Kyoto Prefecture) impressed many golfers with its two distinctly different courses. Otsu Country Club Higashi Course (Shiga Prefecture) was popular for its challenging course design with wide open fairways lined on both sides by forest.

Izakaya menu in top slot for the first time, while skillet gains popularity
URL： https://recipe.rakuten.co.jp/sp2/rank/2016halfterm/

[Tabulation Period] January 1, 2016 –May 18, 2016
*Number of keyword searches

Observations
“Izakaya menu” captured the top slot for the first time after ranking near the top in just about every ranking before this. “Kid friendly” (2nd), “Delicious even cold,” (5th), and “Potluck” (9th) indicate the rising number of searches using key words other than ingredients, such as meals or those about people. “Skillet,” a cast iron frying pan, ranked 4th because it is widely utilized for an assortment of dishes, from classic side dishes to sweets, and it can be served as is on the dining table to showcase a menu item with a fashionable café feel.