Bean Counters Are Now in Tokyo

The traditional outdoor look back East came to the Far East on Sunday when L. L. Bean opened its first overseas shop. The Japanese, already big fans, crowded in.

Shoppers formed a line before the two-story store opened in Jiyugaoka, a residential and shopping area in western Tokyo.

Many shoppers were wearing jackets with L. L. Bean logos, bought through catalogues.

“Everything I have on today is L. L. Bean, except for my briefs, which I bought from Land’s End,” said Shinya Sato, an IBM Japan employee.

He was wearing a navy blue Norwegian sweater, oatmeal-colored turtleneck, blue jeans and rubber hunting boots.

“I like L. L. Bean because it has a conservative touch and also the image of East Coast America,” Sato said as he looked at shoes on the second floor.

The L.L. Bean store has 5,000 square feet. The company plans to open four more in Japan.

Aside from some Japanese-made items such as divers’ watches and women’s shoes designed for small Japanese feet, 95% of the goods in the shop are imported from Maine, said Leon Gorman, president of L. L. Bean.

Founded in 1912 by Leon Leonwood Bean in Freeport, Me., the company has become a leader in the catalogue sales industry. The maker of outdoor apparel, footwear and camping equipment had 1991 sales of $628 million, of which 90% was from catalogue sales.

The prices of most items in the Tokyo store are twice as high as in the catalogue. One sweater is $27 in the catalogue but $57 at the shop. A $55 sleeping bag costs $81 here.

The shop doesn’t mind if people are just checking prices and sizes before ordering from the factory in Maine, said Hideki Tominaga, an L. L. Bean Japan spokesman.

Shoppers said one attraction of the store is that many of them aren’t confident enough of their English to shop by catalogue.