US guitar maker Fender opens its flagship store in Tokyo

Fender, the guitar of choice for some of the world's biggest stars from Jimi Hendrix to Eric Clapton, is opening what it calls its "first flagship store" in its 77-year history.

The American guitar manufacturer has chosen for its location Tokyo's Harajuku, a hot spot for Japanese youngsters who love animation, outlandish fashion and, of course, American music. The store was unveiled to reporters on June 29 ahead of its official opening on June 30.

Asia-Pacific is on track to become the biggest music market in the world by 2030, and more stores are planned for the region, Fender says. The company's revenue in Japan has recorded double-digit percentage growth each year since 2015.

"I've played various brands, but what I like about the Fender is its power to help you play at more than 100 percent of your ability, letting you become aware of your potential and take up new challenges," said Erino Yumiki, a guitarist, songwriter and one of the world's many Fender artists.

"Sometimes music gets me down, but music has also saved me. The music I have encountered through my life is who I am," said Yumiki, who owns about a dozen Fender guitars.

Although Tokyo already has many new and used guitar shops, the flagship store is designed to serve as a kind of museum-cum-amusement park for Fender lovers.

Fender says the social restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic set off a guitar boom. Its revenue in the COVID-19 years ballooned from $500 million to nearly $1 billion.

Some 30 million people picked up an electric or acoustic guitar for the first time during those years, and even if one in 10 keeps playing — as surveys show the statistics to be — it's still solid revenue, says Fender Musical Instruments Corp. Chief Executive...