Babies R Us still going strong in Japan

A few years ago, several of the Toys R Us stores closed around Japan. In my own prefecture of Saitama, we lost many Toys R Us, but in my area the Babies R Us remained unscathed. This was after Toys R Us went bankrupt in the States.

Because the Japanese Toys R Us and Babies R Us are a separate company to the Toys R Us in the U.S., the bankruptcy in America affected Japan in a different way. Some of the Toys R Us did close in Japan, but there was limited impact on Babies R Us. And not only are the Babies R Us still going strong today, but the Toys R Us seem to be making a comeback too. Additional new Toys R Us stores were announced for 2025, including expansions into prefectures where they had previously closed. 

Babies R Us have created at least two different anniversaries in Japan each year. One of them, "Hello Baby Day" ハローベビー・デー, is on today and February 23rd annually. Babies R Us Japan created the day to encourage pregnant women, new mothers and babies. The date comes from the "goroawase" (number wordplay) on 2/23; にん（2）ぷ（2）さん（3）→ 妊婦さん, meaning “pregnant woman.”