Pika Pika Japan

(© Saskia Vanderstichele)

It’s almost as if a rainbow exploded in the middle of Pika Pika Japan, a shop that just opened on chaussée de Waterloosesteenweg, near the crossing with avenue Lepoutrelaan. The store sells quirky items, all made in... Japan. Fans of Japanese goodies might remember a similar shop by the same name, located down rue du Lombardstraat. The owner is back in Brussels and chose a different area for a new adventure. Originally from France, the designer cum inventor lives in Japan and loves all things oriental. As he feels there’s not enough colour in our Western lives and we could learn a thing or two from Japanese culture, he wants his shop to be a starting point to discover Japan: its creativity, its way of thinking and its love for all things pretty. Once your eyes have adjusted to the amount of colours and shapes, you’ll discover myriad items. From heart-shaped pencil sharpeners to small pocket mirrors, bright key fobs to socks with a silly print, greeting cards to inflatable plastic animals, and even a couple of racks with clothing for both children and adults. Everything is bursting with colours and details. What looks like a simple orange marker turns out to be a tool to write, erase, and change the colour of the ink at the same time. Or what seems to be a funny pendant for your phone, actually is a safety device lighting up in the dark when you’re on the phone (to avoid getting hit by a car, apparently a recurrent problem in Japan when mobile phones first became popular). There’s a small selection of Hello Kitty merchandising, but the real star of the shop is Kewpie, a cute doll with big eyes, long eyelashes, and a history dating back to 1909. There’s something for every budget, age group, or occasion. Everything is available in small quantities and the owner regularly imports new things too.

PIKA PIKA JAPAN ●●●
chaussée de Waterloosesteenweg 525A, Elsene/Ixelles, ma/lu/Mo > za/sa/Sa 11 > 19.00