TAIPEI -- An official store featuring merchandise related to the films of Japan's "Crayon Shin-chan" franchise opened at the Ximen underground shopping mall in Taipei on Thursday.
The shop, called "Cinema Parade," is jointly operated by major Japanese trading house Sumitomo Corp., Futabasha Publishers Ltd. and Taiwan licensee company Daydreamer Studio Co.
Futabasha, the developer of the Crayon Shin-chan franchise, currently operates official Crayon Shin-chan merchandise stores in Tokyo's Ikebukuro district and Fukuoka City's Hakata district in southern Japan, as well as five limited-time stores in other areas of Japan. Cinema Parade sells about 600 items related to the Crayon Shin-chan movies, comparable in scale to the Japanese stores.
In March, Sumitomo signed a business partnership agreement with Futabasha to support the publisher's overseas IP business.
Ximen is a neighborhood that has been nicknamed the "Harajuku of Taipei," and its underground shopping mall hosts stores including a Japanese anime-themed pop-up shop. Daydreamer Studio has launched businesses involving cafes and pop-up shops related to anime and manga in places including Taiwan, Hong Kong and mainland China; it also worked with Taipei Metro to lead a project to redevelop the Ximen mall. The Cinema Parade project marks the first time Daydreamer Studio has collaborated with Sumitomo.
An opening ceremony took place at the shop on Thursday. "As a trading house, we hope that this shop will let us serve as a bridge connecting the world of Crayon Shin-chan with its many Taiwan fans," said Shuichi Nagasawa, general manager of Sumitomo's Media Strategic Business Unit.
"We hope this shop becomes a place filled with the smiling faces of Crayon Shin-chan fans, where they can create memories with family and friends," said Shin Miyazawa, a senior official of Futabasha. "I believe new products released in Japan will go on sale here almost simultaneously."
"We've prepared thoroughly so that visitors can experience an authentic Japanese atmosphere. I hope they look forward to further product releases," said Daydreamer Studio President Bruce Chou.
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This article is from The Yomiuri Shimbun. Neither Dow Jones Newswires, MarketWatch, Barron's nor The Wall Street Journal were involved in the creation of this content.
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