Nyanko-sensei fair at Kiddy Land: regional limited edition goods
Kiddy Land is a chain of stores in Japan that caters to fans of a specific character or the cute and fluffy in general. They sell plushies, toys, stationery, and other goods of every mascot imaginable. It was founded in the Harajuku (原宿) neighbourhood of Tokyo where the concept of eternal youth is the motto of the street and its message quickly spread to all of Japan. A pioneer of cute, it is even rumoured that the then-CEO of the company actively popularised Valentine’s Day and Halloween in Japan as it is known today by releasing themed goods.
(Image credit: Ilse Montald)
The store frequently releases limited-time collaborations with popular franchises and the store’s interior changes accordingly. For the summer, they are teaming up with Nyanko-sensei (ニャンコ先生) from the popular manga and anime Natsume yujin-cho (夏目友人帳), or Natsume’s Book of Friends. Starting serialisation in the manga magazine LaLa in 2005, it ended its run in 2017 but not without making its adorable mascot Nyanko-sensei an enduring character. The chubby lucky cat-like creature tags along with the boy Natsume while he looks to release the youkai (妖怪), Japanese demons, from his “book of friends”. Yes, Nyanko-sensei is in fact not a real cat but a demon named Madara who made a contract with Natsume. The story is made up of various one-shots where Natsume solves youkai’s problems and in the process learns about the world around him. It is a light-hearted story with emotional moments. The anime series is currently streaming on various platforms, so please do check it out if you are looking for a mystical slice-of-life story.
(Image credit: Ilse Montald)
While the series has finished, Nyanko-sensei lives on in the form of many many goods. Kiddy Land’s Nyanko-Sensei Fair runs from 31st July until 29th August at the following Kiddy Land locations across Japan; Harajuku, Ikebukuro, Kichijoji, Tokyo Station, Shin-Koshigaya, Kamiotai, Osaka Umeda, Kyoto Shijo Kawaramachi, Fukuoka Parco, Amu Plaza Oita, and Amu Plaza Kumamoto.
(Image credit: Ilse Montald)
The limited shops feature some reruns of designs that were popular during a previous fair, so fans can take the chance to pick these up. Among them is an image of Nyanko-sensei inspired by “the three monkeys” for seeing, speaking, and hearing. Of course no mascot character goods lineup would be complete without huggable plushies, ranging from keychain-size to the jumbo variety. One of these plushies is actually a giant tissue-case holder!
(Image credit: Ilse Montald)
The store closest to my home is the Kyoto Shijo Kawaramachi branch where the Nyanko-sensei display was located on the 3rd floor in front of the One Piece shop. For the Kansai-area release, they even had some cute Nyanko-Sensei dressed as Osaka’s famous soul food takoyaki (たこ焼き octopus balls). There were some new items made specifically for masks, such as charms and cases. Customers with every purchase over ¥2,000 will receive an original postcard and Nyanko-sensei shopping bag to keep as a souvenir. Stock is limited, so they might run out before the end of the event.
Kiddy Land always has different events going on at various locations, so be sure to check their official website (Japanese only) for any collaborations near you.
Header image credit: Ilse Montald
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