Sales at Japan's department stores continued to rebound in September, rising for the seventh consecutive month.

The Japan Department Stores Association reported a jump of 20 percent from a year earlier.

Sales of jewelry, art and other luxury goods were brisk. Colder temperatures helped lift demand for winter clothing.

Shoppers headed out in large numbers during the month, free of any government COVID-19 restrictions.

Some were foreign travelers, after the government eased some border-entry restrictions. Duty-free sales in Tokyo grew roughly three- to five-fold from a year earlier.

Still, overall sales were 23 percent lower than that marked before the pandemic in September 2019. People went on shopping sprees that month just ahead of a hike in the consumption tax.

Association officials say a recovery to that level will require a large-scale return of tourists from China.