Barcelona-Tokyo, one more opportunity for a global Barcelona

The direct flight between Barcelona and Tokyo seems to be closer to materializing. Its launch could represent the beginning of a new stage for Barcelona as a strategic platform between Asia and Europe, and as a city that aspires to position itself among the great retail capitals of the 21st century.

Now that the global economy demands differentiation, purpose, and customer experience, this route will facilitate tourist and business exchange, and also, it can become the axis of a new development model for our city: an international retail ecosystem with a Mediterranean identity and a global outlook.

Tokyo: Silent Excellence, Perfect Service, and Commercial Future

Tokyo is much more than a great capital: it is a city-school. With more than 200 Michelin-starred restaurants (the highest concentration in the world) and a commercial network that exceeds 150,000 establishments, Tokyo represents the most sophisticated retail ecosystem on the planet. Here, hospitality (omotenashi) is a philosophy of life. The relationship between client and provider is built on mutual respect, attention to detail, and a constant search for perfection.

In retail, Tokyo has developed pioneering models: conceptual Flagship stores (like those of Muji, Uniqlo, Tsutaya Books, or Comme des Garçons), and super-optimized convenience formats, such as konbini (7-Eleven, Lawson, FamilyMart), which offer more than 3,000 references with state-of-the-art space management and logistics.

Also advanced digital retail, where the boundary between physical and digital blurs. Already in 2022, 89% of Tokyo retailers integrated some system of online purchase with in-store pickup or vice versa, according to the Japan Retailers Association. Specialized districts such as Ginza, Omotesando, Akihabara, or Daikanyama, where retail mixes with culture, art, fashion, and technology. Tokyo does not aspire to dazzle with its retail, but to generate trust, continuity, and community.

Barcelona: City of Tourism or City of Ideas?

Barcelona has always been a city that receives visitors, but the Barcelona-Tokyo axis invites us to think of Barcelona as an exporter of models, talent, and commercial proposals.

Cities like New York, Tokyo, or Shanghai lead global retail due to their consumption and capacity to generate trends, formats, and experiences that are then replicated worldwide. Barcelona has the opportunity to become the European benchmark for Mediterranean experiential retail, thanks to its unique combination of gastronomic culture and fresh produce, with assets such as La Boqueria, Mercat de Sant Antoni, and Santa Caterina; urban design and architectural sensibility; entrepreneurship in food, fashion, and lifestyle, and growing tourist appeal and international connection (with more than 15.5 million visitors in 2024 and a daily spend of 100 euros).

Retail Tour Barcelona – Tokyo: a strategic project

Inspired by this new connection, from the CrearMas consultancy, I propose the creation of a Retail Tour Barcelona–Tokyo: a professional, institutional, and business exchange program between both cities, which would allow showcasing the excellence of Barcelona's commerce to Japanese visitors, investors, and prescribers, while inspiring our local retailers with Japanese business models focused on service, narrative, and sustainability.

This tour would also facilitate the creation of lasting links between brands, distributors, and logistics operators, as well as the promotion of showroom spaces in both cities for emerging brands with international projection. Thus, Barcelona could become the natural entry point for Japanese retail in Southern Europe, while our brands find in Japan a cultured, demanding, and high value-added market.

The figures support this vision: Japan was the fourth largest economy in the world in 2024. Spain is one of the preferred European countries for Japanese tourists, and Catalonia, a key destination, with 181,000 Japanese visitors in 2023, representing approximately 58% of Japanese tourists who arrived in Spain.

The Barcelona-Tokyo route is an opportunity for Barcelona to once again be a city where retail has soul, purpose, and international projection.

Barcelona needs to stop understanding tourism as an end in itself and start seeing it as a vehicle to connect with the world, learn from other models, and evolve towards a city where commerce not only sells, but inspires, excites, and leaves a mark.

The ---we hope--- future Barcelona – Tokyo route is not unidirectional; it is a two-way street: of knowledge, opportunities, sophistication, and mutual respect. And above all, it is an opportunity for Barcelona to once again be a city where retail has soul, purpose, and international projection. A city connected with the future.