Rakuten Announces 2016 Top Rankings

November 28, 2016 — Rakuten, Inc. today announced the Rakuten 2016 Annual Rankings. The rankings this year are compiled from Rakuten Ichiba, Rakuten Books, Rakuten Kobo, Rakuten Travel, Rakuten GORA, and Rakuten Recipe in Japan.

For Rakuten Ichiba, the plant-derived Botanist hair care product line won first spot for the second year in a row. The 2003 SMAP CD Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana (The One and Only Flower in the World) ranked fourth overall in Rakuten Books, and took top spot in the CD genre. The novelization of the animated film Kimi no Na wa (Your Name), which grossed more than 189 million yen at the box office (as of November 20), ranked highly in Rakuten Kobo. For the third year running, Atami Hot Spring and Kazusa Country Club in Chiba Prefecture both ranked first in Rakuten Travel and Rakuten GORA, respectively. In the Rakuten Recipe keyword search, “Izakaya menu” was the top search item.

The year's rankings for each service are provided below.

- Botanical shampoo/conditioner maintains strong popularity with No. 1 ranking! -
URL： https://ranking.rakuten.co.jp/yearly/ (PC)
https://ranking.rakuten.co.jp/smart/yearly/ (SP)

Calculation period: September 25, 2015 to September 24, 2016
*Calculated using a unique calculation method based on Rakuten Ichiba total sales, data on the number of items sold, the number of shops the item is handled, trend information, etc.

Observations
Botanical shampoo/conditioner Botanist maintained its strong popularity, ranking No. 1 for the second year in a row. Half of the products in the top 10 were health products, suggesting a growing awareness of health, with Mineral Enzyme Green smoothie at 4^th place, followed by enzyme drink at 7th, Belta enzyme supplement ranked 8th, Wonder Core Smart was in 9th spot, and Shiawase mixed nuts ranked 10th. Daily necessities bought in bulk, such as Crystal Geyser (2nd and 5th) and the Medalist One Day Plus 90-pack 2-box set (contact lenses) (3rd) have become regulars in the high rankings. However, Ever Color One Day Natural colored contact lenses maintained their position in the top 10 ranking despite being a fashion item.

 - Chromecast takes overall top spot
SMAP's 10-year-old album "Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana" (The One and Only Flower in the World) is top CD -
URL：http://books.rakuten.co.jp/event/best-ranking/

Calculation period: January 1, 2016 to October 31, 2016
*Rakuten’s own calculation method based on the numbers sold in Rakuten Books

Observations
Ranked 9th in the 2016 half year rankings, Chromecast took the number one spot through sales promotions such as the Rakuten Super SALE. As with previous years, ONE PIECE (2nd, 3rd, 10th) and Arashi CDs and DVDs (5th and 8th) held spots in the top 10, but SMAP’s CD, Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana (The One and Only Flower in the World), which went on sale in March 2003, was 4th overall and first in the CD genre. It is the first time in the history of Rakuten Books for a CD that went on sale more than 10 years ago to appear in the top 5 and be first in the CD genre. It continues to rank highly in the daily rankings.

- Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan) claims top spots
Novelized version of hit animated film Your Name joins the list -
URL: https://ranking.rakuten.co.jp/yearly/kobo/ (PC)
https://ranking.rakuten.co.jp/smart/yearly/kobo/ (SP)

Calculation period: January 1, 2016 to October 31, 2016
*Rakuten's own calculation method based on the number sold in Rakuten

Observations
Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan) continues to be popular this year, claiming the top two spots with the second season of the animated series of the popular comic slated for the spring of 2017. In 4th spot is the novelization of the animated film Kimi no Na wa (Your Name), which grossed more than 189 million yen at the box office, written by director Makoto Shinkai. Many readers gave reviews saying that they enjoyed reading the book before and even after seeing the film. Since Toumei na yurikago was released over a year ago, its first three volumes join the list (6th, 7th, and 8th) as a long selling eBook. In 9th spot is the popular HUNTER×HUNTER with its first simultaneous print and electronic release in almost three and a half years. Rounding out the list are the non-comic entries of Subete Umaku Iku! Urawaza Daizenshu 4 volume set (All is Well! Complete Collection of Tricks) and Shitteokitai Musubikata no Kyoukasho (Textbook of Ways of Tying Things You Should Know) which highlight the popularity of books on practical tips and tricks in life.

 - Atami Hot Spring keeps top spot for the third straight year -
URL: https://travel.rakuten.co.jp/mytrip/ranking/onsen/

Calculation period: November 1, 2015 to October 31, 2016
*Calculated by the number of people who stayed at the hot springs
*Calculated by the actual number of people who stayed at the hot springs during the target period

Observations
Atami Hot Spring in Shizuoka Prefecture retained its top spot for the third year in a row. The city of Atami’s ranking is the result of it conveying the appeal of its tourism and food, nature, local specialties, and hot springs with its “Unexpectedly Atami” tourism campaign that started in 2013. Beppu Hot Spring in Oita Prefecture held down second place for the third year in a row while Kusatsu Hot Spring in Gunma Prefecture was third for the second year in a row, as these popular hot spring resorts become fixtures.

- Kazusa Country Club is top for third consecutive year -
URL: https://gora.golf.rakuten.co.jp/doc/special/2016/rank/

Calculation period: January 1, 2016 to October 31, 2016
*Calculated by the number of customers
November 1, 2016 to December 31, 2016
*Calculated by the number of people who made reservations to play as of October 31, 2016

Observations
For the third year running, Kazusa Country Club in Chiba Prefecture topped the rankings. A mere 7 minutes by car from the Ichihara Tsurumai Interchange on the Ken-O Expressway and praised for how well the course is maintained, it is attracting an increasing number of tournaments. Tokyowan Country Club, also in Chiba Prefecture, ranked 2nd for the second straight year, trading on its location being less than an hour from Tokyo via the Aqualine. Higashi Tsukuba Country Club (Ibaraki Prefecture) placed 3rd, climbing one spot from ranking 4th last year, thanks to its challenging course layout and excellent reviews for its customer service and dining options.

-“Izakaya menu” No. 1 search item!
Low cost and wide variety of dishes the source of its popularity –
URL: https://recipe.rakuten.co.jp/sp2/rank/2016yearly/?scid=rank2016yearly_press

Calculation period: January 1, 2016 to October 31, 2016
*Calculated by the number of times the keyword is seached

Observations
“Izakaya menu” maintained its lead in first half of the year to claim the top spot. The popularity of the keyword is rooted in the simplicity and wide variety of dishes available, which appears to have led to an increase in repeat searches. Keywords related to dining or people, Kid-friendly (2nd), Samete mo Oishii (Delicious cold) (7th), Mochi yori (potluck) (9th), and Onigirazu (5th) and skillet (6th), owe their ranking from being topical on the internet or TV. The success of side dishes such as daikon (8th) and nasu (10th) point to the popularity of pickles that one can make in a short time in tupperware or a plastic bag.