The hotels were usually booked by June, forcing many men to make a reservation before they were even sure they would have a date. But during the last Christmas, rooms were available.

French food and expensive gifts are out; tripe stew and handmade presents are in. But the change goes beyond the holiday shopping season. Japan, after the speculative "bubble" of the late 's, is turning away from the high-priced brand-name goods and conspicuous consumption that characterized this society when a strong yen and soaring land and stock prices made many people feel rich.

Change May Be Permanent. If the change is permanent, and many people believe it is, it could have big repercussions for makers of luxury goods, which have depended on Japan for a growing part of their sales and profits in recent years. With few Christians in Japan, Christmas is not a religious holiday here.

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But when it comes to the commercialization of the holiday, Japanese companies are a match for any in the West. And Christmas is only part of the shopping season in Japan. Early December is the traditional winter gift-giving season. People give obligatory presents, known as oseibo, to their bosses and relatives, and corporations bestow gifts on customers and suppliers.

In , the emphasis was on practical gifts, like packages of ham, cooking oil or soap. Winter shopping is fueled by winter bonuses for workers.

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Winter and summer bonuses together are equivalent to about five months' salary. But in , either bonuses barely increased or they actually decreased. At the NEC Corporation, the electronics maker, senior managers received part of their bonuses in certificates allowing them to obtain NEC television sets, personal computers and other products. Now, sales of Cognac, German cars, Scottish malt whisky and Italian suits, all once voraciously acquired by newly prosperous Japanese, are level or down from earlier times.

Discount stores, once shunned, are crowded; high-priced department stores have seen their sales drop. You can quite safely say those days are over. Sales of Mercedes-Benz cars dropped 8 percent in a generally weak auto market. At one time, nearly every woman here seemed to carry -- or covet -- a Louis Vuitton bag. Shiine of Hanako magazine.

The declining imports of luxury goods are contributing to growth in the European Community's trade deficit with Japan. An estimated 40 to 50 percent of Europe's exports to Japan are brand-name consumer goods, said Seamus Gillespie, counselor for economy and finance at the delegation of the Commission of the European Community in Tokyo.

Gillespie said he believed that there was a cutback of all spending because of reduced incomes, not a particular shift away from brand-name items.

Others disagree, saying Japanese consumer behavior is fundamentally changing. In the past, people were willing to spend any amount for the proper cachet. In fact, the more expensive an item, the more valuable it was assumed to be.

Now, people are becoming more discerning. But sales of pots for making nabe, a traditional Japanese stew, are up, a sign that people are staying home more. Motsunabe, a stew made from pig intestines that was long derided as poor people's food, is now all the rage among trendy young people.

Discounts on Brand Names. Discounters are also springing up, circumventing Japan's traditional multilayered distribution system and the small mom-and-pop retailers that have contributed to prices that are twice as high here as in New York.

In October, Aoyama Trading, a fast-growing chain of stores selling inexpensive men's suits, opened a branch in Tokyo's Ginza district. On Sundays there are lines outside the door. Even brand-name items are now being discounted, a rare occurrence a year ago. In Tokyo's Roppongi night-life district, a new store called Designers Collezione sells Armani suits, Givenchy dresses and Lanvin coats at an 80 percent discount from list price.

The company orders directly from American suppliers of factory-outlet stores. To keep costs down, the store's walls are bare concrete and the only advertising is handbills that are passed out on the street. During the bubble, Mr. Yamamoto bought a sports car and went to a discotheque at least once a month. Now he has sold the car and stopped going out so much. The shift in the shopping habits of people like Mr.

Yamamoto is bad news for conventional department stores.

At the main branch of Mitsukoshi, one of Japan's oldest and highest-priced department stores, sales in were down 5 to 6 percent over all, but sales of luxury items had fallen 10 percent or more, said Kiyoshi Tsuboi, the deputy store manager.

Fewer Expensive Paintings Sold. A few years ago, Mitsukoshi could sell 20 to 30 a year. The slumping economy and competition from discounters are slowly forcing changes on the department stores, which have been known not only for high prices but for elaborate service, including phalanxes of young women at the door to greet customers.

It has installed some elevators that do not require attendants, and it no longer stations women near the escalator on each floor to greet and direct customers.

With few Christians in Japan, Christmas is not a religious holiday but a commercialized one.

Japan's Taste for the Luxurious Gives Way to Utility and Frugality - etygivusyx.web.fc2.com

As economic times have changed in Japan, Japanese are spending less on gifts this year. At Aoyama, a discount shop in Ginza, customers found jackets marked down 80 to 90 percent.

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World Africa Americas Asia Australia Europe Middle East U. Japan's Taste for the Luxurious Gives Way to Utility and Frugality By ANDREW POLLACK, Published: Change May Be Permanent If the change is permanent, and many people believe it is, it could have big repercussions for makers of luxury goods, which have depended on Japan for a growing part of their sales and profits in recent years.

Attention, Discount Shoppers Now, sales of Cognac, German cars, Scottish malt whisky and Italian suits, all once voraciously acquired by newly prosperous Japanese, are level or down from earlier times. Newly Discerning Customers Others disagree, saying Japanese consumer behavior is fundamentally changing.

Discounts on Brand Names Discounters are also springing up, circumventing Japan's traditional multilayered distribution system and the small mom-and-pop retailers that have contributed to prices that are twice as high here as in New York. Sweep to a Win Over the Heat.