While in South Korea, KakaoTalk is widely used by the entire nation, in Japan, it is no exaggeration to say that almost the entire population uses an online messenger called “LINE.” LINE is a mobile messenger created by Naver in South Korea, and although it failed to dominate the market against KakaoTalk in South Korea, it succeeded in Japan. Currently, LINE has become a mobile messenger loved not only in Japan but also in various other countries, surpassing KakaoTalk users by far.
Given that LINE is used by almost everyone in Japan, it has become a commonly used app in daily life. This is reflected in Japanese animation “Your Name,” where the two main characters are shown using the “LINE” messenger.
“LINE FRIENDS STORE” that you can find in Tokyo Harajuku
The LINE FRIENDS STORE is a shop that sells various goods featuring characters from the “LINE” messenger. While character stores like KakaoFriends Store can also be found in South Korea, the number of people using LINE in South Korea is relatively small. Therefore, compared to KakaoFriends Store, the LINE FRIENDS STORE in Japan seems to attract more visitors.
In Tokyo Harajuku, we came across the LINE FRIENDS STORE. Although it was not originally part of our visit plan, the excitement of discovering the LINE FRIENDS STORE made us step inside and take a look.
“A large flagship store spanning about 3-4 floors”
The LINE FRIENDS STORE in Harajuku is quite large. It occupies around 3-4 floors simultaneously, each showcasing various unique character products. The layout of the store is not significantly different from LINE FRIENDS STOREs in South Korea, but discovering a store operated by a South Korean company in Japan brought a sense of joy.
“Tokyo, Harajuku, LINE FRIENDS STORE”
- Address: 1F~3F, Harajuku Zero Gate, 4 Chome-31-12 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo-to 150-0001, Japan
- Phone: +81 3-5785-3001
- Website: LINE FRIENDS STORE
- Business Hours: 11:00 – 21:00