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Japanese Console Market Grows For the First Time In 11 Years (kotaku.com)
According to Famitsu, hardware sales in Japan experienced a huge spike in 2017 compared to the previous year. In 2016, Japanese hardware sales were 117.05 billion yen ($1.05 billion), while in 2017, they jumped to 202.37 billion yen ($1.81 billion). Kotaku reports: Software sales also increased: in 2016, they were 182.4 billion yen ($1.63 billion) and the following year, they were 189.3 billion yen ($1.69 billion). A big part of this increase is due to the Nintendo Switch's brisk hardware sales. The PS4 has also continued to churn out steady numbers. The last time the Japanese gaming market saw an uptick was in 2006, when the Nintendo DS Lite, the Nintendo Wii, the PS3 launched.
The Switch is pretty much surgically constructed to sell in Japan.
Even though Japan basically pioneered the ubiquitous use of cell phones in modern cultures, they also have a long love of portable gaming beyond the reach of even that cell phone culture.
They're basically the reason that Playstation Vita kept alive as long as it did, and I thank them for it too - that and the Playstation Portable have a great legacy as far as software libraries for future emulators.
One big reason is subways. Being able to play halfway-comfortably while standing, packed into a train car filled with other folks is basically the prototypical usage scenario. Lets you spend that otherwise dead several-days each year worth of travel hours in a much better condition than anything else, including cell phone conversations or streaming content.
As a pleasant side-effect, the games have to be compatible with being paused at any time, and tend to focus on being long-form or repayable entertainment far better than 99% of cell phone games. Experiences you can enjoy as focused entertainment, rather than just distractions or odd toys.