Sogo 崇光百貨

Sogo Department Store is also a landmark in Causeway Bay. It can be directly accessed from Exit D of the MTR station. This mall basically has 12 floors. From the basement to the second floor, there are snack shops and supermarkets.

The first floor of the basement and the ground floor are series of cosmetics stores. The first to seventh floors are small shopping stores. There are higher floors that require elevators. The Store has many brands and they are placed densely. There are especially many people on weekends and holidays.

Behind Sogo Department Store is East Point Road, which is a pedestrian-only area. The main entrance of the Department Store is the intersection of many streets, including Yee Wo Street and Hennessy Road. It is almost the center of Causeway Bay and is also another most popular tourist attraction besides Times Square.

Hong Kong’s version of “Little Ginza”

In the 1960s and 1970s, the Japanese-owned department store Daimaru opened its doors in Hong Kong.

Daimaru in 1998 — In 1998, Daimaru at Great George Street, on its back was Matsuzaka (image source: 鄭寶鴻)

Three other department stores, including Matsuzaka, Sogo, and Mitsukoshi, soon opened branches in Causeway Bay, bringing a surge of activity to the area.

This also brought with it a surge of Japanese culture. Japanese cuisine, music, stationery, anime, and manga all had a significant impact on young people in Hong Kong.

Television stations at the time also frequently broadcast Japanese cartoons and dramas. Many Japanese actors and singers also became idols for young people.

Famous stars at the time included Masahiko Kondo and Akina Nakamori, and cartoons included Gundam, Macross, Mazinger Z, Candy Candy, Ninja Hattori-kun, and Doraemon. Fashion, hairstyles, and even Hong Kong comics and models have had a profound influence on Hong Kong’s pop culture. For example, many Hong Kong songs are adapted from Japanese songs.

Sogo is the only store existing today and the rest Japanese department stores have left Hong Kong. Even today, many toy stores feature these cartoon figures, some even becoming specialty stores.

A bookstore for manga fans

If you’re a fan of Japanese anime and cartoons, you should visit the bookstore on the 11th floor of Sogo. This floor is dedicated to stationery and Japanese-language manga, ranging from recent to over a decade old. You can also find other Japanese books: foreign language books, magazines, travel books, etc. There’s also a café at the corner.