Amazon Japan launching pop-up bar

To promote the alcoholic drinks being sold on its platform, Amazon Japan will launch a promotional pop-up bar in Tokyo.

In Ginza, the 78-seat Amazon Bar will run for 10 days from October 20, serving cocktails, sake and wine.

The online retail giant says some products will be exclusive, and the bar will not have a menu but recommend drinks to customers. It is the company’s first such venture, its previous foray into brick and mortar being bookstores.

Japan is one of Amazon’s four largest markets and is among the world’s biggest alcohol markets. Beer drinking is fading there, with wine showing the biggest increase in popularity over the past decade, followed by whiskey. The number of drinkers has risen by more than 55 and 34 per cent respectively, according to Japan’s National Tax Agency.