Somewhat satisfied...(Review of Kyumae Bakery Pop-Up Store in Tokyo)

Store front posters

Intense Reservation

The Kyumae Bakery pop-up store opened at Line Friends Square Shibuya in Tokyo from June 12 to June 21, 2026. The reservation ticket sale opened a few days before. I accidentally cancelled my first reservation, which was a slot at 12 p.m. on Saturday, June 13. 😭 I bounced back to the reservation website and secured a 6 p.m. slot. There would be low stock by then. However, my non-ELF friend, whom I will meet up with that day, told me I could still at least check it out. By the time I refreshed the reservation website, most of the slots were full. I had a certain budget for commuting and shopping, so I kept my reservation.

First glimpse

I spotted the Kyumae Bakery wallpaper on the floor-to-ceiling glass window on the first floor of the building. My friend waited for me at a corner while I lined up and got my reservation details ready. 

Seconds later, an older woman turned to me and spoke to me in Chinese. She pointed at her smartphone and asked how I accessed my reservation receipt. Luckily, my brain switched from English and Japanese to my elementary-school-level Chinese. She let me use her phone, which was nice. I helped copy and paste her reservation ticket number and password into the website's login window. It was a hassle because I couldn't copy and paste both numbers in one go. After ten minutes, I'd pasted her information onto the website. She thanked me and showed her phone to the staff right away. 

Merch list

I saw the goods list at the storefront. As I expected, most of the pictures had a "Sold Out" sticker attached. 😮😭  The staff were clueless on how much of a struggle it was for fans to book a spot. If people arrived late, disappointment would strike them.

A small corner of Kyumae

Cardboard standees

A small section of the store was the pop-up event. Three giant Kyumae cardboard standees welcomed me as I entered. Two of them were Kyumae working as a baker. One of them had a penguin sticking its head out of a basket. There was also Kyumae wearing a paper bag with holes that made him a bread thief. He also had his comrade, the penguin in a paper bag, next to him. 

Too little, too late...

Empty shelves 

Most of the shelves were empty. I was just as disappointed. Not all the Kyumaes dolls were available, and the popular items had less stock than others. 😞

Kyumae pillows

Some of the most popular items were the pillows, and of course a lot of KyuPiters will spare a chunk of their money to own a burnt Kyumae cushion, a baked Kyumae cushion, and a Kyumae baguette body pillow. I had been eyeing the baguette pillow for a bit, but I didn't get one. 🙁

Can badges and keychains

The can badges were the cheapest items. They were in silver packs on the top shelf. Few people were interested in buying them because they were sold randomly. Few were into the keychains as well. 

Kyumae and Muzik Tiger goods

As I expected, there were several Kyumae and Muzik Tiger stuff left. I'm not very sure if this tiger character was well-known overseas. 😅😕 This was just my two-cents, so don't quote me on it! 🙏

Kyumae topper set and memo pads

The topper set was a cute idea for those who are into baking cakes. I can imagine baking lovers decorating a birthday cake with these to celebrate Kyu's next birthday. 😉🎂 Unfortunately, I didn't get one. 😅

I hoped to get the Tokyo-exclusive drawstring pouch as well. To my disappointment, it was out of stock. 😢

Some pluses and minuses

Goods display

Despite the limited stock the store had throughout the pop-up event, I appreciate the neat display of every item the store pulled off. It's a fangirl's dream to collect every single item from the goods list. 

I also liked the one-minute Kyumae animations that were on the giant screen above the cashier counter. It didn't quite feel like a bakery because there weren't any baked bread and pastries like the pop-up stores in Seoul and Taiwan. 😞😕 However, the staff of Line Friends Square Shibuya did their best to control the crowd and direct the customers to where the stuff was and where to pay. Although I heard that the security wasn't strict enough, as there were some foreign fans breaking the entry rules and purchasing limits. 😒😟😦😬

One more minus I would give was how high the maximum amount was in order to get the special Kyuhyun photo cards. One person can purchase up to 7000 yen for two photo cards or 12000 yen for a complete photo card set?! Not everyone had the money, as a matter of fact. 🙁 And since everyone went through a stressful registration online, shouldn't we all deserve at least one free Kyuhyun or Kyumae photo card for free? Or a thank-you card as a sign of appreciation? I mean, I would feel much more appreciated if I got one free souvenir from the store. 

Final thoughts

My Melon-pan Kyumae and memo pad

In the end, I got myself a Tokyo-exclusive Melon-Pan Kyumae doll and a memo pad with a cushiony baked Kyumae bread padding cover. Look how cute the pink apron was! And the green toque with a pink sakura flower on it?! 😍🥹💕 I got my OG Kyumae plushie a twin sibling! 😃😄 And I like the memo papers in the memo pad have adhesive! It's perfect for writing reminders and tasks. 😌😎

Overall, I would rate this pop-up a six out of ten puppies. 🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶

I hope that whoever's in charge of a future Kyu pop-up event would note the frustrations fans had from this and come up with enough preparations for unlimited restock and facility improvements. I mean, it's the Japanese fandom I'm referring to here! All the Japanese KyuPiters I've met here are always so nice to me and committed to buying every single Kyuhyun item available! We all deserve something amazing to shower our favourite artist with the biggest love and the utmost support. 😉💖

My next blog post will be about Leeteuk and Heechul's 83z fan meeting this August! I look forward to what the pillars of Super Junior have in store for us. 😍🤩 Please stay tuned for my recap. 😉😊 Take care of yourselves this summer, and I'll see you soon! 👋🫶💙