T. Higashi's Store

New and first-class Japanese goods

From 1914 to 1919, this location was home to T. Higashi's store. You can imagine it by looking across the road to the old Bulletin office in Townsville; newspaper advertisements of the time simply listed the store's address as "Opposite Bulletin Office." The shop was a local favourite, known for selling a wide variety of "new and first-class" Japanese goods at reasonable prices, including beautiful silks, kimonos, tea sets, handbags, and toys that arrived with each new steamer.

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Its owner, Toyokichi Higashi, was a well-regarded figure in the community. He arrived in Townsville from Wakayama, Japan, in 1898. Before opening his own store, he identified himself as a storekeeper and was an active member of the local Japanese Association in Townsville, contributing to civic projects like the hospital fund.

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In 1919, Higashi announced his retirement and the closing of his store with a massive clearance sale and then returned to Japan. However, this was not the end of his story in Townsville! He returned in 1921 and, in a surprising career change, became the proprietor of the O.K. Japanese Laundry on Flinders Street in 1922. He ran this successful laundry business for many years, likely until he passed away in 1936. He is buried in an unmarked grave in the Belgian Gardens Cemetery in Townsville.