When I opened the morning edition of the Ehime Shimbun, a bold headline leapt off the page:
“Costco to Open in 東温(Toon), Shikoku’s First, Targeting Late 2027.”
The store will be built in Toon City, only a short drive from my home in Matsuyama. For years, young people in Shikoku have looked enviously at other regions where Costco’s giant warehouse stores already stood. The fact that this news appeared on the front page says everything about how significant it is for our prefecture.
According to the report, the Costco Wholesale Toon Warehouse will occupy a 66,000-square-meter lot just south of the Fujigrand Shigenobu shopping complex. The facility will include parking for about 1,000 cars and an attached gas station, with an estimated 400 employees.
At the press conference, Ehime Governor Tokihiro Nakamura and Toon Mayor Akira Kato shook hands with Costco Japan’s president, Ken Theriault—a symbolic moment sealing Ehime’s long-awaited connection with a global retail powerhouse.
Local reactions, however, have been a mixed bag.
Many residents are thrilled—saying things like “Finally, we don’t have to drive all the way to Kobe or Hiroshima for Costco!”—while others express concern about weekend traffic jams on Route 11, noise from the gas station, or the future of smaller local shops.
Incidentally, Japanese people pronounce the name as “Cost-to-co” (コストコ), clearly enunciating the t sound in the middle. In English, however, the t is almost silent, the tongue briefly touches the alveolar ridge but releases no sound before gliding into co. The result is something closer to [kɑːskoʊ].
So why “コストコ” in Japanese? Perhaps it’s because コスコ—without the t—was already taken by China COSCO Shipping Corporation Limited, a major Chinese shipping company. Besides, that extra “to” adds a hint of rhythm and warmth, almost like the onomatopoeia tokotoko—the gentle sound of little footsteps. To Japanese ears, “コストコ” feels friendlier, even a bit cute.
I often drive past the planned construction site, so I’ll be able to watch the warehouse gradually take shape, enjoying the countdown until its 2027 opening.
