Tokyo has a brand new Harry Potter shop with its own butterbeer bar – Let's see what's inside【Pics】
As the primary boulevard of Tokyo's trendy Harajuku neighborhood, Omotesando is lined with fashion emporiums for some of the world's top apparel and accessory brands. However, the latest big name to take up residence on the street comes not from the fashion world, but from the wizarding world, as this week marks the grand opening of the Harry Potter Shop Harajuku.
The massive store is made up of multiple sections focusing on different aspects and locales of the Harry Potter universe, including a Butterbeer Bar, the first cafe in the country outside of an amusement park or museum to serve up the series' beloved beverage.
Greeting visitors on the first floor, in the Forbidden Forest area, is a full-scale statue of Buckbeak the hippogriff. Crafted by visual effects artists who worked on the Harry Potter movies, Buckbeak's feathers and facial features are so true to his onscreen depiction that we expect more than a few visitors to bow to him, or at least do so inside their hearts.
Buckbeak is far from the only enchanted beast you'll encounter inside the store. Peer into the trunk of this tree, for example, and you'll find a Pickett.
Look up, and you'll also spot several owls, either perched on trees or flying across the sky, perhaps en route to deliver important messages.
The theming is so thorough that we were enjoying ourselves even before we started looking at the merch, such as the shirts, caps, mugs, and robes of Hogwarts' four houses in the House Pride corner.
Also on the first floor is a collection of Harry Potter Shop Harajuku-exclusive items. Rather than show favoritism to any one house, these are done in stylishly underrated color schemes, and they feature the kanji for Harajuku (原宿) for extra souvenir suitability.
We're still on just the first floor, but we've got one more stop before we head upstairs: Harajuku's very own Honeydukes, stocked with real-world versions of Harry Potter candies and some matcha-flavored themed sweets as well.
Okay, now it's time to take the elevator up to the second floor, and even that is a treat for fans, as it really wraps you in the atmosphere of trying to make your way out of the Forbidden Forrest.
The second floor also has a Honeydukes corner, but this one sports a photo spot.
The MinaLima art gallery has beautiful pieces on display and for sale.
But the most exciting shopping experience has to be the wand shop section.
There are dozens of wands on display, including intricately detailed recreations of specific characters' wands as seen in the movies. There's such a wide variety that some shoppers might not know where to start in narrowing down their selection, but the expert wand salespeople on hand are happy to explain their differences and help you find the one that's just right for you.
Between the wand shop and fitting rooms for robes that you can purchase with customized name embroidering, this part of the store makes Omotesando feel like Diagon Alley.
And last, as promised, the Butterbeer Bar.
Until now, if you found yourself fancying a butterbeer here in the real world, you needed to head either to the Wizarding World area inside Universal Studios Japan in Osaka or to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo–The Making of Harry Potter walkthrough museum in Tokyo's Nerima Ward, each of which require you to purchase a ticket to enter. Not even the Tokyo Harry Potter popup cafe had the drink on its menu, but at Harry Potter Shop Harajuku, the butterbeer flows freely.
In addition to an 800-yen (US$5.40) butterbeer (which is a delightful chilled carbonated elixir with butterscotch and cream flavors), we also enjoyed a cup of salty caramel butterbeer ice cream (600 yen), topped with butterbeer foam and caramel sauce.
On the savory side, we had a tasty Buckbeak Bun (800 yen) with a cheese pizza sauce filling, and also picked up some icing cookies (three for 2,000 yen) to take home.
The Harry Potter Shop Harajuku has its grand opening to the public on August 14.
Shop information
Harry Potter Shop Harajuku / ハリー・ポッター ショップ 原宿
Address: Tokyo-to, Shibuya-ku, Jingumae 6-31-17
東京都渋谷区神宮前6丁目31番17号
Open 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
Website
Photos © SoraNews24
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Draco Malfoy himself comes to Tokyo to visit Harajuku's brand-new Harry Potter store
By SoraNews24 Last week, the brand-new Harry Potter Shop Harajuku opened in Tokyo, filled with cool things for fans to see, shop for, and drink. Yet while the Gryffindor protagonist is the one with his name on the shop's sign, it was a representative of a different Hogwarts house that stopped by as part of the festivities. Draco Malfoy, or more specifically actor Tom Felton, who portrayed the scheming Slytherin student in the Harry Potter films, paid a visit to the Harry Potter Shop Harajuku on August 13, one day before its grand opening to the public. With a friendly smile and a Slytherin scarf draped over his button-up shirt, it was as though a more mature, well-adjusted Draco had appeared before us, perhaps having just flown to Tokyo on a broom. The shop's first floor includes a Forbidden Forest section, in which resides a gigantic statue of Buckbeak the hippogriff. Reflecting on how Draco and the creature didn't get off to such a good start at their initial in-movie meeting, Felton took a moment to observe proper hippogriff protocol and politely bow to the creature. This wasn't the only reunion taking place on this day, though. Joining Felton at the event was boy band idol So Matsushima, member of Timelesz (the unit previously called Sexy Zone). In Japan, it's not so unusual for entertainment franchises to have celebrity endorsers who don't appear in the work itself, but there was more to Matsuhima's presence than that. Matsushima has been a big Harry Potter fan for many years, and before breaking into Japanese show business he attended a fan event where he waited in line for six hours to get an autograph from his favorite actor in the series: Felton. 'I learned so much from seeing how Malfoy struggled with his very human weaknesses,' Matsushima recalled. 'Even now, I love him more than any other character, and seeing Tom's continued performance as him convinced me how wonderful the process of acting can be.' Felton also offered more direct encouragement to Matsushima at that autograph signing so many years ago. When Matsushima told him he wanted to be an actor too, Felton told him that as long as he held on to his dream, he'd be able to achieve it. 'At the time, I really wasn't sure whether I'd be able to make it or not,' recalls Matsushima, 'and his words were like a beacon of hope for me.' It's the sort of interaction Felton has probably had many times during his career, so it's not clear whether or not he specifically remembered meeting the young Matushima. He was clearly touched by the emotion Matsushima showed in retelling it, however. 'I do have one thing to ask of you,' Felton told Matsushima, asking that he give the same sort of love and support to his fans who're dreaming of becoming actors or entertainers, and Matsushima promised to do his best to do so. ▼ Felton also presented Matsushima with some new signed memorabilia. After a few more hugs, the two posed for photos, and it was heartwarming to see that Felton still handles a wand with the natural ease of a wizard who'd be using one every day, effortlessly gesturing and even slipping it casually into his pocket when he was done casting for the cameras. Then, to really solidify their friendship, Felton and Matsushima closed out the event by heading to the in-shop Butterbeer Bar to grab a couple of cold ones. It was almost startling to see how the so-often irritable Draco was portrayed by such a friendly, gracious guy, but that's just proof that Felton really is a talented actor. Photos © SoraNews24 Read more stories from SoraNews24. -- Harry Potter actor apologizes for wearing shirt critics say glorifies Japan's WWII aggression -- Foy foy foy! Harry Potter's official Japanese LINE stickers are incredibly bizarre -- Tokyo has a brand new Harry Potter shop with its own butterbeer bar – Let's see what's inside【Pics】 External Link © SoraNews24
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Draco Malfoy himself comes to Tokyo to visit Harajuku's brand-new Harry Potter store【Photos】
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4 days ago
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Tokyo has a brand new Harry Potter shop with its own butterbeer bar – Let's see what's inside【Pics】
The wizarding world comes to the Harajuku fashion district. As the primary boulevard of Tokyo's trendy Harajuku neighborhood, Omotesando is lined with fashion emporiums for some of the world's top apparel and accessory brands. However, the latest big name to take up residence on the street comes not from the fashion world, but from the wizarding world, as this week marks the grand opening of the Harry Potter Shop Harajuku. The massive store is made up of multiple sections focusing on different aspects and locales of the Harry Potter universe, including a Butterbeer Bar, the first cafe in the country outside of an amusement park or museum to serve up the series' beloved beverage. Greeting visitors on the first floor, in the Forbidden Forest area, is a full-scale statue of Buckbeak the hippogriff. Crafted by visual effects artists who worked on the Harry Potter movies, Buckbeak's feathers and facial features are so true to his onscreen depiction that we expect more than a few visitors to bow to him, or at least do so inside their hearts. Buckbeak is far from the only enchanted beast you'll encounter inside the store. Peer into the trunk of this tree, for example, and you'll find a Pickett. Look up, and you'll also spot several owls, either perched on trees or flying across the sky, perhaps en route to deliver important messages. The theming is so thorough that we were enjoying ourselves even before we started looking at the merch, such as the shirts, caps, mugs, and robes of Hogwarts' four houses in the House Pride corner. Also on the first floor is a collection of Harry Potter Shop Harajuku-exclusive items. Rather than show favoritism to any one house, these are done in stylishly underrated color schemes, and they feature the kanji for Harajuku (原宿) for extra souvenir suitability. We're still on just the first floor, but we've got one more stop before we head upstairs: Harajuku's very own Honeydukes, stocked with real-world versions of Harry Potter candies and some matcha-flavored themed sweets as well. Okay, now it's time to take the elevator up to the second floor, and even that is a treat for fans, as it really wraps you in the atmosphere of trying to make your way out of the Forbidden Forrest. The second floor also has a Honeydukes corner, but this one sports a photo spot. The MinaLima art gallery has beautiful pieces on display and for sale. But the most exciting shopping experience has to be the wand shop section. There are dozens of wands on display, including intricately detailed recreations of specific characters' wands as seen in the movies. There's such a wide variety that some shoppers might not know where to start in narrowing down their selection, but the expert wand salespeople on hand are happy to explain their differences and help you find the one that's just right for you. Between the wand shop and fitting rooms for robes that you can purchase with customized name embroidering, this part of the store makes Omotesando feel like Diagon Alley. And last, as promised, the Butterbeer Bar. Until now, if you found yourself fancying a butterbeer here in the real world, you needed to head either to the Wizarding World area inside Universal Studios Japan in Osaka or to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo–The Making of Harry Potter walkthrough museum in Tokyo's Nerima Ward, each of which require you to purchase a ticket to enter. Not even the Tokyo Harry Potter popup cafe had the drink on its menu, but at Harry Potter Shop Harajuku, the butterbeer flows freely. In addition to an 800-yen (US$5.40) butterbeer (which is a delightful chilled carbonated elixir with butterscotch and cream flavors), we also enjoyed a cup of salty caramel butterbeer ice cream (600 yen), topped with butterbeer foam and caramel sauce. On the savory side, we had a tasty Buckbeak Bun (800 yen) with a cheese pizza sauce filling, and also picked up some icing cookies (three for 2,000 yen) to take home. The Harry Potter Shop Harajuku has its grand opening to the public on August 14. Shop information Harry Potter Shop Harajuku / ハリー・ポッター ショップ 原宿 Address: Tokyo-to, Shibuya-ku, Jingumae 6-31-17 東京都渋谷区神宮前6丁目31番17号 Open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Website Photos © SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! [ Read in Japanese ]
