BODY: Japan's cutest anxiety-ridden trio is graduating to the big screen — and PARCO is throwing them a café to celebrate. To mark the release of Chiikawa: The Secret of Mermaid Island, the first-ever theatrical film based on Nagano's wildly popular characters, PARCO is opening themed collaboration cafés at three of its THE GUEST CAFE BY PARCO locations.
The pop-ups run for a limited period in Shibuya, Shinsaibashi (Osaka), and Nagoya, giving fans in three major metropolitan areas a chance to eat their feelings alongside Chiikawa, Hachiware, and Usagi. A recent press preview showcased the full menu and merchandise lineup with freshly shot photography, offering the first close look at what visitors can expect.
The food is designed to evoke scenes from the film, leaning into the "Mermaid Island" aquatic theme with plated dishes and drinks styled after the movie's imagery. As is standard for these collaborations, ordering menu items and buying merchandise earns customers exclusive novelty goods — the real draw for the franchise's famously devoted collectors, who often line up well before opening.
Chiikawa began as a Twitter (now X) manga by illustrator Nagano and exploded into a merchandising juggernaut, spawning an anime, endless capsule toys, and collaborations with everyone from convenience stores to luxury brands. A feature film is the natural next escalation.
The insider take
Collab cafés are a fixture of Tokyo's character-goods economy, and THE GUEST CAFE BY PARCO is one of the most reliable venues for them — its Shibuya location cycles through a new IP practically every few weeks. The catch for visitors is logistics: these cafés almost always require advance time-slot reservations, and the limited-edition novelties tend to disappear fast, sometimes reselling on Mercari within hours. If you're planning a visit, book the moment slots open and don't count on walk-ins during opening weekend.
Originally reported by GAME Watch (Japanese).