News On Japan

Cozy fit: Beanbag chair maker Yogibo bought by Japanese distributor

Jan 13 (Nikkei) - Yogibo, an American company known for its beanbag furniture, has been acquired by the company distributing its products in Japan, one of its biggest markets.

Web-Shark bought the New Hampshire-based company in late December in a deal believed to be valued at more than 10 billion yen ($87 million).

Yogibo, established in 2009, makes and sells chairs, sofa and other foam-bead-filled furniture that molds to the user's body. It had a presence in eight markets at the end of 2021, including the U.S., Japan and South Korea. The company does not publicly release sales data, according to Web-Shark's announcement.

Web-Shark became Yogibo's Japanese sales agent in 2014, and won fans with its own unique products and appealing store designs. The country now hosts nearly 70% of Yogibo's roughly 130 stores worldwide.

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Flooding has reached the temporary housing in Wajima City, built for earthquake victims, and volunteers have begun clearing the mud starting on September 24.

A Japanese government spokesperson says a Russian military airplane entered Japanese airspace three times on Monday. (NHK)

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has conveyed his country's intention to maintain support for Ukraine to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. (NHK)

Seven people are dead in the wake of torrential downpours in Japan's central Ishikawa Prefecture that have caused rivers to flood and mudslides across the Noto region. Some people living in temporary shelters following the New Year's Day earthquake are once again facing recovery efforts, this time from flooding. (NHK)

Signs of winter are already arriving. Mount Rishiri in Hokkaido recorded the first snowfall of the season on Sunday, making it the first observed in Japan this year.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

A 39-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attacking a female university student by covering her head with a bag and attempting to strangle her.

A group of Humboldt penguins at Tokuyama Zoo in Yamaguchi Prefecture has captured people's hearts, as they chase a butterfly that had accidentally flown into their pool enclosure.

A man in his 30s was stabbed in the chest at an anime song event in Saku City, Nagano Prefecture on Sunday, leaving the victim serious injured.

Tokyo has launched an official matchmaking app in an effort to increase the number of marriages, particularly as the city struggles with the lowest birthrate in Japan.

A search for 'breast pump' 「搾乳機」on YouTube returns numerous videos with titles like 'Introduction to Breast Pumping.' But what exactly are these videos?

Four high school students, aged 16 to 18, have been arrested on suspicion of injuring a third-year junior high school boy in a park in Machida City, Tokyo, in May of this year.

A fire broke out at a shrine in Ami-machi, Ibaraki Prefecture, burning a sacred tree over 500 years old, with police investigating the cause as a lightning strike.

A regional headquarters of the Japan Coast Guard has arrested the head of the operating company of a sightseeing boat that sank off the coast of Hokkaido, northern Japan, in 2022. (NHK)