Here is some more evidence that fashion-conscious Japan is outgrowing its love affair with luxury brands and turning to a new passion: Fast fashion.  We covered some fast fashion previously while looking at Uniqlo and now the star brand of American mall-style clothing—Forever 21—opened last Thursday in the Matsuzakaya department store in Ginza.

Folks in Japan are quickly shifting to bargain hunting, encouraged by the periennelly slow economy.  Forever 21 is replacing what was a Gucci boutique, and packs five floors with colorful racks of 350 yen tank tops and 1,580 yen frilly skirts.

Matsuzakaya replaced Gucci with Forever 21 in the hope of drawing more business and is offering freebies and discounts to those who buy merchandise thats priced at 2,100 yen exactly.

The first Forever 21 opened in Harajuku last year earlier, drawing a line almost kilometer long. Its aisles are still overflowing with keen shoppers today, who are buying up Forever 21’s street-style with just  the same frenzy as they do for local kawaii brands.  The second store though will also be targeting older folks, ie. the regular Ginza crowd.

Ginza still boasts its established European brands such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Prada and Hermes, carrying price tags of millions of yen, including a Gucci store around the corner from Forever 21.

But its landscape is changing with the arrival in recent years of Swedish chain Hennes & Mauritz AB, or H&M, Zara of Spain, and Japan’s own fast-fashion retailer Uniqlo.  Younger Japanese are becoming more frugal than their parents and more confident about how they dress, rather than depending on high-end brands for status.