Iconic Japanese Brand Kuma Opens Café and Store in Wangfujing
Long known as a magnet for tourists, Wangfujing has recently upped its appeal to locals with a spate of new arrivals like the opening of the largest and oldest toy retailer Hamleys from London and then, on Dec 10, the equally kid-friendly Japanese brand Kumamon's first official store and café in Beijing.
If you're not familiar with the brand don't worry, you've likely seen the adorable Kumamon (熊本熊 xióngběnxióng), the widely used mascot created by the government of Kumamoto Prefecture in Japan. Since being dreamt up in 2010, that big, smiling bear has been used to sell toys, bags, key chains, drinks, snacks, stickers, and just about everything else. His adorable visage has even adorned trains and been used for other unconventional decorations.
And while this bear has often been spotted in Beijing, he's finally appearing at his first official, newly opened store and café. At first, its trendy cutesiness reminded us of Line Friends Café & Store, which opened earlier this year at Yintai Centre. But thankfully Kuma Cafe & Store is much better than that Korean competitor in every single way. First, even though there was a line in front of the café during our visit, the owners at least had the good sense to place a few Kumamon statues outside, each sporting different poses for the fans to take selfies and kill time while waiting to get inside the crowded venue. Second, there is an actual café, with over a dozen tables and booths for people to dine in. Line Friends Café was miserable for its tables in a shopping mall layout. Lastly, Kuma Cafe & Store puts considerable effort into their drinks and desserts, instead of flying a limited number of frozen treats in from Shanghai.
The chocolate mousse, and Spring in Mount Aso (right)
Among those sweet offerings, we enjoyed the Spring in Mount Aso (RMB 32). Named after a mountain at Kumamoto Prefecture, this strawberry mocha drink was served in a nice glass with five layers of varying pink shades and topped with cream to represent clouds, making it particularly photogenic. The tart dried strawberry powder balanced out the sweetness of the strawberry syrup at the bottom nicely. Meanwhile, the chocolate mousse (RMB 58) comes in the shape of Kumamon’s face, making it perfect for adorable foodstagramming as you scoop it bite by bite. They also offer Kumamon pudding in a Kumamon mug, and you can keep the mug as a bonus, though the rampant demand unfortunately rendered it out of stock during our visit.
The store's various toys, notebooks, key chains, bags, umbrellas, and even rice wines are all quite affordable. We were surprised to find that the notebook, for instance, is only RMB 15. Stuffed Kumamons toys in different costumes, meanwhile, are RMB 85 each. Indeed, some of these goods are not much more expensive than what you might expect to pay at a Kuma Cafe & Store in Japan.
All in all, we’re glad to see that Kuma Cafe & Store is not a massive rip off and that you can have fun without spoiling your children, or your inner child, for that matter. Indeed, who among us, regardless of their age, could resist this fluffy, cute, wide-smiling goofball bear?
Kuma Cafe & Store
Daily 10am-10pm. 3/F, Beijing APM, 138 Wangfujing Dajie, Dongcheng District (6559 9521)
东城区王府井大街138号北京apm3层
Photos: Tracy Wang
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