K-pop Shopping in Japan: Our Experience Hunting for Merch

If you're planning a trip to Japan and wondering where to buy K-pop merchandise, you're not alone. During our trip in May/June 2026, we were based in Tokyo, Osaka and Hiroshima while keeping an eye out for K-pop stores, albums, photocards and official merchandise.

As K-pop collectors and fans ourselves, we were curious to see how Japan compared to our last trip to South Korea. While K-pop is undeniably popular throughout Japan, the shopping experience is very different from what you'll find in Seoul. Finding official K-pop merchandise often requires a bit more searching, and many stores focus heavily on unofficial goods, lomo photocards and fan-made accessories.

That said, we still found some great stores, discovered some hidden gems for photocard collectors, and even stumbled across a special collaboration for NEXZ.

Here's everything we found during our K-pop shopping adventure across Japan.

 

Hiroshima: Small but Worth Exploring

Hiroshima isn't usually the first city that comes to mind for K-pop shopping, but we still managed to find a few interesting locations.

Tower Records Hiroshima

If you're looking for official K-pop albums in Japan, Tower Records was by far the most reliable retailer we visited.

The Hiroshima branch (Hiroshima PARCO New Building) stocked a selection of official K-pop releases, although the range wasn't quite as large as what you'll find in Seoul. One thing we noticed throughout Japan was that stores often prioritised Japanese releases and local promotions first, but the K-pop section here did have a relatively large section (plus some Love and Deepspace goods, yay!).

Prices were reasonable, although Korean stores still tended to be slightly cheaper overall.

While Tower Records didn't carry a huge range of K-pop accessories, it was consistently the best option for official albums and music releases.

PNCA

One of our favourite discoveries in Hiroshima was PNCA, located not far from Tower Records. The Hiroshima branch is located on the 9th floor of the Hiroshima PARCO main building.

PNCA specialises in K-pop and general idol/anime fan merchandise. They had a very large stock of individual photocards, making it a great stop for collectors looking for specific members or harder-to-find cards. Cards were individually packaged and displayed professionally, making it easy to browse through the selection.

The store also sold photocard holders, card filters, official goods, light stick covers and fan covers.

One particularly fun feature was a photocard gacha machine where fans could try their luck and pull a random card (whoop we got Bang Chan)..

For photocard collectors, this was definitely one of the highlight stores of our trip.

K*DOL PARK

We also came across K*DOL PARK, which focused primarily on unofficial K-pop merchandise.

The shop stocked a variety of fan-made products, including lomo photocards and other accessories. While it's a fun place to browse, collectors looking specifically for official merchandise should pay close attention to product descriptions and packaging.

 

Osaka: Unexpected K-pop Surprises

While Osaka offered fewer dedicated K-pop shopping spots than Tokyo, it delivered a memorable K-pop experience of the trip.

NEXZ at Umeda Sky Building

Completely by chance, we discovered that Osaka's famous Umeda Sky Building was hosting a collaboration event with NEXZ.

The collaboration was scheduled 15 May to 18 August 2026 and featured large promotional displays, themed decorations and a recorded welcome message from the group. The event coincided with promotions surrounding the group's second Japanese single.

Visitors could also purchase special collaboration drinks, each of which came with a random member coaster. We were lucky enough to receive Yuki!

This was one of those unexpected moments that makes travelling in Japan so enjoyable. Limited-time collaborations are everywhere, and you never know when you'll stumble into one.

K-Pop Shop Near Dotonbori

Near Osaka's famous Glico Running Man sign in Dotonbori, we found a store simply called K-Pop Shop.

This shop primarily sold unofficial merchandise including, lomo photocards, posters, file folders, keyrings and stationery.

Although it wasn't the best destination for official K-pop collectors, it was still worth a browse if you're already exploring the area. Prices were reasonable and they had a lot of the most popular groups like Stray Kids, Ateez, BTS, Blackpink and LE SSERAFIM.

 

Tokyo: The Best City for K-pop Fans

If you're only visiting one city in Japan and want the best K-pop shopping experience, Tokyo would be our top recommendation.

Ikebukuro

Ikebukuro was home to another excellent Tower Records branch (Ikebukuro Parco) as well as a K-pop-focused section operated by Lashinbang.

Lashinbang K-POP Store

Specialises in products from popular K-POP artists from around the world. They offered a strong selection of official photocards, second-hand collector items, K-pop accessories and fan merchandise.

For collectors searching for specific members or photocards, it was one of the better locations we visited.

Tower Records Tokyo

The main K-Pop groups displayed across each of the Tower Record branches were the same few; ZEROBASEONE, AND2BLE, BABYMONSTER and LE SSERAFIM.

Tower Records remained the most trustworthy retailer for official albums throughout our trip.

However, something we found particularly interesting was how different Japan's K-pop landscape felt compared to Europe. Groups that are extremely popular internationally weren't always receiving the same level of promotion in Japan.

For example, we saw nothing relating to XLOV, despite the group having a growing international fanbase. Similarly, while ATEEZ remains hugely popular in Europe, they appeared less frequently in official album displays than we expected and were more tucked away in the back shelves.

We did find unofficial ATEEZ merchandise and lomo photocards in various shops, but official retail promotions were relatively limited.

On the other hand, ENHYPEN seemed to enjoy much stronger visibility and shelf space in official retail stores.

It's a reminder that local popularity doesn't always match global popularity, which makes shopping in Japan a unique experience for international fans.

 

Shin-Okubo: Tokyo's Korean Town

For K-pop fans, Shin-Okubo is probably the area you'll hear about most before visiting Japan.

Often referred to as Tokyo's "K-Town," the district is packed with:

• Korean restaurants
• Korean cafés
• Street food stalls
• Cosmetic stores
• K-pop merchandise shops

The atmosphere felt energetic, super busy and cosmetic/accessory stores were everywhere.

If you've visited Seoul before, Shin-Okubo definitely feels Korean-inspired, but it doesn't quite recreate the same experience as neighbourhoods like Myeongdong or Hongdae. Instead, it feels like Japan's own interpretation of Korean culture. Whilst you’re there you should definitely try some street food, cheesy tteokbokki, being one of our faves.

Some stores opened later in the morning or even around midday, so don't assume everything will be open if you arrive early.

Feel Korea

This shop stocked a range of K-pop merchandise, although much of it focused on unofficial products and fan-made items.

K Star Plus

Another popular stop for K-pop fans, with a variety of merchandise available. Like many shops in Shin-Okubo, a significant portion of the stock consisted of lomo cards and unofficial goods.

 

Japan's Love Affair with K-pop Gacha Machines

If there's one thing Japan does exceptionally well, it's gacha machines.

They're everywhere.

For K-pop fans, we discovered a surprising number of officially licensed K-pop gachas during our trip, see pictures for some of the best...

LE SSERAFIM in particular seemed extremely popular, appearing in multiple gacha collections and merchandise collaborations.

These machines often provide an affordable way to pick up official collectibles while travelling.

However, it's worth noting that some unofficial stores also use gacha machines to distribute lomo photocards and fan-made products, so always check what you're buying before spending your coins.

 

Which K-pop Groups Seemed Most Popular in Japan?

Based on our observations throughout our trip several groups appeared particularly visible during our trip.

There obviously was a lot of visibility for Japanese idol groups which featured alongside K-pop artists. Groups such as JO1 and INI featured heavily in music stores and promotional displays and often occupied prime retail spaces due to the collab for their World Cup song (JI BLUE - 景色).

Meanwhile, some groups that enjoy huge popularity in Europe and other international markets weren't always as prominent in official Japanese retail environments.

For K-pop fans visiting Japan, this makes browsing stores particularly interesting because you often get a different perspective on what's trending locally.

Stray Kids Everywhere

One thing we noticed throughout our trip was also the visibility of Stray Kids in so many advertisements. The group appeared in multiple advertising campaigns, including promotions for Biore UV, making them one of the most visible K-pop groups we encountered during the trip.

Our Final Verdict

If you're travelling to Japan purely for K-pop shopping, don't expect exactly the same experience you'll find in Seoul.

Official K-pop merchandise definitely exists, but you'll usually need to search a little harder for it. Many stores focus heavily on unofficial products, fan-made merchandise and lomo photocards, meaning collectors should pay attention to what they're buying. Probably no surprise, but Tokyo offered the widest variety of stores and experiences.

Between official album stores, photocard hunting, themed collaborations, exciting pop-up events and endless gacha machines, there's always the chance of discovering something unexpected where ever your trip takes you.

 

P.S. If you'd rather skip the hunt and browse official K-pop merchandise from home, take a look at our latest arrivals here at Idol Fusion. We stock albums, photocards, keyrings, plushies and accessories from some of the biggest names in K-pop. Happy collecting!