Japanese-style baths coming to malls – DTI

JAPANESE leisure services firm Koshidaka Holdings is set to enter the Philippine market via a P2.5-billion investment focused on the establishment of family centers, women-focused gyms and Japanese-style baths, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said on Tuesday.

In an online briefing, Trade Secretary Cristina Roque said Koshidaka officials discussed plans to set up shop in the country during a meeting in Tokyo last week.

"They have 671 outlets all over Japan; their spaces are quite big, 500 to 1,000 square meters just for their entertainment center," Roque said, adding that Ayala Malls and the SM Group were interested in hosting Koshidaka's facilities.

Ayala and SM officials were not immediately available for comment.

Koshidaka will be sending a team to the Philippines to scout potential sites for its businesses, with a first outlet expected to be opened before the end of the year.

The firm is looking to expand this to 30 locations and eventually to 100 outlets nationwide, the DTI said.

The company's initial focus will be on entertainment centers that feature family karaoke and other Japanese-style recreational offerings. It is also looking to introduce a specialized gym chain catering exclusively to women and traditional onsens in select malls.

An onsen, strictly speaking, refers to baths that use water from natural hot springs.

Koshidaka was said to be particularly interested in locations with heavy foot traffic including high-density condominium areas.

"Their main concern is that they want an entrance outside so that even if the mall is closed, they can still get clients even at night," Roque said.

Koshidaka is primarily engaged in the karaoke and onsen business. It has already exported its Karaoke Manikeneko brand to Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia and Thailand.

The onsen business, meanwhile, is under the Maneki no Yu brand.

Based on Koshidaka's profile on Reuters, it also runs the One Karaoke brand in Japan, manufactures and sells karaoke equipment, and also has another hot bath business named Rumpu no Yu.

It is also engaged in real estate management with buildings in several Japanese prefectures.

Koshidaka's planned entry is part of broader Japanese investments in the Philippines, the Trade department said. Discussions in Japan, Roque claimed, had led to P2.3 billion in investment pledges from four Japanese firms.

These align with the government's push to attract more foreign investors under the Create More Act, the DTI said.

Japan, said Roque, remains a key trade and investment partner of the Philippines.

Japan was the second-biggest buyer of Philippine-made goods in January 2025, buying $945.8 million or 14.9 percent of the country's total exports and supplying $912.7 million worth of goods or 8.0 percent of the total imports during the month.

It has remained the top foreign investor in Philippine economic zones since 1995, with over 800 Japanese firms said to have contributed P589 billion in investments and created over 300,000 jobs.