Shopping Guide
The “Huge Rilakkuma Exhibition - 10th Anniversary Dararan Museum” was held from Jan. 1-9 at the Yokohama Sogo, one of Japan’s largest department stores, in celebration of the popular character Rilakkuma’s 10th anniversary. The event mesmerized many fans with its introductions to some of the past popular Rilakkuma products and dioramas that had reproduced illustrations from the series. Over the course of the event, more than 39,000 people attended.
Rilakkuma is a popular character by stationery maker San-X that debuted in the early 2000s. The company is also responsible for creating Tarepanda 1 which was a big hit in the ‘90s, and it has support from people of all ages. What is particularly surprising is that even though Rilakkuma debuted more than 10 years ago, the demand for related goods still hasn’t begun to wane. At the Huge Rilakkuma Exhibit, the history of Rilakkuma was outlined through items on display. The aim of the event was to show attendees once again the charm of Rilakkuma.
In the area introducing products from the series’ history and the four pavilions each with different themes, fans everywhere were stopping over and over again to take pictures with their smartphones.
The event’s special shop named Dararan Market was filled with fans thoroughly enjoying the Huge Rilakkuma Exhibit. As expected from it being a department store, there was an abundance of items available. Among these, the limited event items like the “Rilakkumanju Special Set” and the “Event-Exclusive Rusk” were particularly popular and all sold out.
Mr. Hanaoka of the Yokohama Sogo department store expressed his surprise to us regarding the generation-crossing popularity of Rilakkuma: “At the event have been families bringing along their children, office ladies on their way home from work, men, and even married couples in their 60s. I understand that Rilakkuma is popular, but I’m still surprised that so many people have come to visit.”
Many foreign visitors, such as reporters from Taiwan, even visited the event. Judging from the huge success of this event, the Rilakkuma phenomenon may just be beginning.
^1^ An original character from San-X themed after a panda. It debuted in November 1995 as stickers. The character’s popularity peaked in 1999, and it became a social phenomenon in Japan.
© 2014 San-X Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
This is a Tokyo Otaku Mode original article.
