New Year's Greeting from the Manager

Happy New Year, everyone! This is Musique69, and I wish you all the best for the coming year.

At the beginning of last year, we closed our Yahoo! Shopping store, which we had operated for 18 years, and opened a new store under our own domain. We took on the challenge of migrating over 1,500 products without external help and, after much struggle, successfully launched the new store.

Although the store launched, it was also a premature start. We continuously brushed it up and made repetitive, meticulous updates. It was a year dedicated to system building, but I feel we have finally reached a point where it has taken shape.

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On the other hand, a dark age for importers began, with an unpredictable and intense yen depreciation and soaring shipping costs weighing heavily on us.

It's not just the market economy in Japan, but with rampant price increases being loudly declared everywhere, it was a year of significant changes in procurement numbers and selling prices for our store.

Of course, there are no plans to significantly change our product lineup in the future, but what we were previously able to order and procure in large quantities is now considerably restricted for the reasons mentioned above, so the number of titles that can be re-ordered after the initial arrival has significantly decreased. We will do our best to maintain and improve through corporate efforts, but it is vexing that this trend is likely to continue for some time (at least as long as this accelerating yen depreciation does not stop).

Nevertheless, for 20 years, we have upheld the banner of being "an online-only select store specializing in Western rock and pop CDs, cassette tapes, records, Blu-rays, books, and merchandise that are difficult to obtain in Japan," and this core will not waver. Please be assured of that.

In March of this year, Musique69 will celebrate its 20th anniversary. Once again, I feel a renewed sense of commitment. Everyone, I look forward to your continued support this year!

Musique69 Store Manager

January 6, 2026