On September 17, 2025 Perfume released their latest album -「ネビュラロマンスー後篇ー」(Nebula Romance Part II). To celebrate the new release, a special POP-UP STORE opened its doors across four major cities—Tokyo, Nagoya, Fukuoka, and Osaka. By a stroke of luck, I happened to be in Tokyo during the release window and knew I couldn't miss it!
 |
| The schedule of the pop-up store |
Since I was already in Tokyo for the grand finale at the Tokyo Dome, there was no way I was going to miss out on the Pop-Up store! However, getting in wasn't as simple as just walking through the door. To manage the crowds, they used a timed-entry ticketing system. Unsurprisingly, the tickets for the first few days were already completely sold out. Fortunately, because I was visiting on a weekday, I was able to snatch a slot for Friday, September 26th, at noon.
The Tokyo pop-up store was held at the Universal Music Store in Harajuku, right on the famous Takeshita Street. As I walked down the street, I saw Perfume banners hanging from every pole, which really built up the excitement!
Even though it was my first time visiting this specific store, I couldn't possibly miss it—there was a massive Perfume poster displayed outside that stood out from blocks away. LOL. I arrived around 11:00 AM, which was quite early for my noon slot. There was no queue at the time, but the staff instructed me to return closer to 12:00 PM. I wandered around Harajuku for a bit and headed back at 11:40 AM, only to find a line had already formed! 😅 Luckily, the staff were very organized and arranged us according to our ticket numbers. I was 5th in line! Before we were allowed inside, the staff briefed us on the rules: photography and videos were allowed (which was great!), but there was one specific rule—once we took the lift up to the upper floors, we couldn't come back down the same way. It was a one-way journey through the "Nebula" world!
Right at 12:00 PM sharp, the staff scanned our tickets and we were finally allowed inside. The moment we stepped through the doors, we were "greeted" by Perfume themselves! Kya~!!! Seeing them right at the entrance—even if it was through their life-sized visuals and welcome messages—felt like they were personally welcoming us into the world of Nebula Romance. My heart was racing from the very first second!
The first level was dedicated entirely to the exhibition. As I walked in, I was face-to-face with the actual uniforms Perfume wore in the "Cosmic Treat" music video! Seeing the costumes in person is always a highlight because you can appreciate the fine craftsmanship and materials that you just can't see on screen. They also had the props on display, including the "space guns" they used in the MV. It felt like stepping directly onto the set of Nebula Romance. Being able to take photos and videos of these items was such a win—I made sure to capture every detail of those iconic props!
 |
| Kashiyuka |
 |
| A~chan |
 |
| Nocchi |
 |
| "Mr. Mic Show" neon light |
 |
| Their specialized guns |
Beyond the costumes, there was a dedicated "Character Introduction" corner. It broke down all the different characters featured in the Cosmic Treat music video, making the whole sci-fi concept feel even more immersive. The best part? All three members had personally signed their individual portraits!
Since this was a Universal Music store, the displays for the music itself were massive. They showcased the latest album, 「ネビュラロマンスー後篇ー」(Nebula Romance Part II), alongside Part I, tying the whole story together. Even though I had already pre-ordered the Limited Edition online (of course! Hehe), I couldn't resist buying the Normal Edition right there at the store. The reason? If you bought the album at the Pop-Up, you received a special exclusive carrier bag with the album cover artwork printed on it. It’s such a beautiful collector's item and the perfect souvenir to remember my visit to the Harajuku store!
The third floor was the merchandise area, which is easily the main highlight for many fans. This is where they sold the limited-edition items available only at the pop-up store. I ended up spending almost an hour here! I just wanted to take my time admiring every single item and carefully deciding what to take home with me. Haha.
 |
| The whole merchandize list |
 |
| There are 2 flavors: Lemon Squash and Oolong tea |
I spent most of my time on this floor hunting for the magnet badges. Since they were sold in "blind" random packets, you never know what you're going to get. Initially, I was going to leave it to luck and just pick three, but I soon realized I could actually feel the different shapes through the packaging. I stood there for a while, carefully pressing and feeling each packet to find three different designs. To be honest, I felt a little self-conscious; I thought only a foreigner like me would be "shameless" enough to stand there picking through the stock, while the local Japanese fans would be more reserved and well-behaved. To my surprise, I looked over and saw a Japanese lady right beside me doing the exact same thing! LOL. 😝 It was such a relief to see that "fan greed" knows no borders. I asked her, "You’re trying to collect the complete set too, right?" and we both just burst out laughing. We even started helping each other out, checking the shapes of the packets together to make sure we didn't get duplicates. It was such a funny, wholesome moment with a random fan. In the end, my "tactile" strategy worked—I managed to get the complete set in all the right colors! Yay!
Aside from the costumes, the exhibition walls were a dream for long-time fans. They had a massive display featuring every single one of Perfume’s single and album covers—seeing them all lined up really hit home how much they’ve achieved. There were also screens playing their music videos, surrounding us with the sights and sounds of the Nebula Romance era. One of the coolest props on display was the Big Boss's chair from the "Cosmic Treat" music video. Seeing it in person made me realize just how much detail went into the world-building for this album. It felt less like a store and more like a curated museum of Perfume's cinematic universe!
I ended up spending about an hour and a half in the store, soaking in every detail and picking up several limited-edition items. However, there was one specific item I was hunting for that wasn't available yet: the music keyholder. Since the Tokyo pop-up was the very first stop of the four-city tour, it seems the stock for the keyholders wasn't ready in time for the opening. They were only scheduled to be available from the second stop onwards in the other cities. It was a bit disappointing to miss out just because I was at the first location, but that’s the risk of being among the first to visit! Despite that, I still walked out with a bag full of treasures and a very happy heart.
After missing out in Harajuku, I held onto a glimmer of hope. In December, it was finally announced that all the pop-up store merchandise would be available online via Asmart! I was so excited—this was finally my chance to grab that elusive music keyholder. I was ready and waiting the moment the sale went live. However, the demand was absolutely insane. Only a few hours after the starting time, the items were already marked as SOLD OUT! NOOOOOOOO~! 😭
It seems I wasn't the only one waiting for a second chance. Even with the power of the internet, the "Nebula Romance" merch remains as rare and precious as a shooting star!
That's it for my experience visiting the pop-up store. Check out my video below for a more immersive look at the exhibition!
No comments:
Post a Comment