@article{oai:nichibun.repo.nii.ac.jp:00000195,
 author = {GRINSHPUN, Helena},
 journal = {Japan review : journal of the International Research Center for Japanese Studies},
 month = {Jan},
 note = {The rise of globalization and development of transnational consumption practices have generated new socio-economic and cultural geographies.  One of the most prominent manifestations of this process is the proliferation of global chains "interlocking" world locations on both operational and symbolic levels.  This article deals with new developments in urban consumption culture in Japan focusing on global branded chains.  The chains are viewed as material glows of commodities, images and cultural representations, which forge new connectivities between world locations.  Using the example of the Starbucks coffee chain in Japan, I examine how consumer appeal is generated, and how the socio-spatial demands of the Japanese consumers are addressed through the consumption experience offered by the chain.  What determines the relevance of a global brand in the local context?  What new subjectivities are generated through the encounter between the brand and the consumer?  By looking at various components of the consumption experience and tracing their social and cultural meanings, I try to draw conclusions on the process of subjectivity creation and identity formation in contemporary urban Japan.},
 pages = {169--195},
 title = {The City and the Chain : Conceotualizing Globalization and Consumption in Japan},
 volume = {24},
 year = {2012}
}