When we established our independent online shop, we chose the domain bb-antiques.jp, even though most of our customers live outside Japan. At the time, we hoped that the .jp ending would make it clear that we were based in Japan and shipped our items directly from here.
Later, after reading an article by EDAMAME Japan LLC about country-code domains and online marketing, we began to wonder whether this was the best choice for a shop serving customers worldwide. The .jp extension is a country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) associated with Japan. While it can indicate a connection to Japan, it does not necessarily make a website more visible to customers in other countries.
According to Japan Registry Services (JPRS), individuals and organizations with an address in Japan can register general-use .jp domains, and there is no limit to how many they may register. We believed that this requirement might offer some reassurance to overseas customers. However, a domain ending does not by itself guarantee the security or reliability of a website.
Our original domain used the name “bb-antiques” rather than “kagitora.” As we developed the KAGITORA brand, we began considering whether a different domain name might represent it more clearly. Regardless of the address, we want our customers to know that the items we offer are carefully selected and shipped directly from Japan.
