Sony has opened a new store in Japan, and the reason why its newsworthy is because it appears to be a new retail direction for the company altogether. The “Sony Store Nagoya” (press release, official sonystorenagoya twitter) will open in the Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture on March 13th, and is reminiscent of what Apple and Microsoft are doing these days with their brand specific stores. This is a totally different shopping experience than what they offer at normal SonyStyle stores around the world. In an exclusive press only event, AV Watch was able to check out the new store in Nagoya and the new retail execution strategy is really amazing. Will this ever come to the USA?

Let’s take a look at the inside – as you can see the store is visible outside through the glass:

Near the main entrance in the first floor is a set of iconic stairs that lead up to level 2:

A general overview of the first floor:

As you can see each product line is clearly labeled above on a black panel and easily accessible on rows of white stands:

Sony also exhibitions that show off how various Sony devices can work together:

Here we can see a beautiful red Cybershot with a G-Lens and how you can display the images on a digital photo frame:

A VAIO exhibition, even demonstrating the special “Owner Made” models:

Some more VAIO items, including special covers for their various laptops:

The latest E series VAIO with its removable keyboard skins:

Here is the Xperia X10, which is only known in Japan as Xperia, which debuted at Nagoya.

Alpha and camera accessories all lined up on one wall for easy access:

There is of course 3D demonstrations in the Sony Store, such as this one on the first floor. There are other demonstrations you’ll see later on the second floor.

Here is the first tier of assistance desks to help visitors:

There is escalator access outside to the second floor of Sony Store Nagoya:

The second floor entrance:

The window of the second floor entrance:

The second floor of Sony Store Nagoya really tries to appear like a home. It also houses further support modules for the store, such as consultative services.

Here is another 3D demonstration, this time found on the second floor in a glorified home theater setup:

Another line of support areas:

Backstage support services were recently launched in Japan – here is the little booth that you can watch the technician in while they work on your Sony device:

Sony Store Nagoya will also have three vehicles on hand (pretty rad, eh):