Amin Abbas

TOKYO: Founded by a Japanese producer who worked in the UAE, Tokyo Toy Café is located at Fukasawa where people can enjoy a variety of beverages while buying rare Batman and Star Wars toys. 

Yuji Ueda worked in the UAE for seven years and made multiple documentaries about his hobby of collecting. He is considered the top collector of DC Comics’ Batman and Star Wars’ Stormtrooper in the world. 

The TV producer started collecting Bikkuriman Shiru stickers when he was eight years old. “It was the first thing I enthusiastically collected,” he told Arab News Japan. “My concept was as follows: completing the collection, sorting by category, and aiming for the rare items.”

He shared his inspiration for the cafe, saying, “I’ve always wanted to open the gallery café for more than 18 years. It was always my dream. Nowadays, people share their collections on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and so on.”

“I wanted to showcase my collection to the world, where you can physically watch and appreciate the items. Fans and collectors can gather and enjoy. It’s a place where fans can interact and create new ideas or share their passions,” he added.

When it came to establishing the cafe, Ueda was told by some people that he might not be able to do it. “When I shared the idea with people, there were two types of reactions. One who would say it’s impossible and that I know nothing about business,” he shared. “The other type would encourage me and give me positive vibes. Not being dragged by negative energy was the most difficult challenge.”

He added that finding the right property and partners was also challenging because Tokyo is an expensive city.

The cafe’s cabinet shows 80% of the collector’s collection. “I will change the content every few months to display and rotate the collection,” he shared. “This way, visitors or fans can always enjoy new collections, like museums and galleries.”

The cafe only focuses on the two characters that Ueda collects. “There are so many American comic concept toy shops or cafés, but they are covering everything and not focused, whereas this cafe brings the ultimately dedicated collections so people can enjoy,” he told Arab News Japan.

“I will also connect Japan and UAE customers through Tokyo Toy Café to encourage anything related to business, mainly focusing on pop cultures,” he added, as he is partnering with people from the UAE.

One of the main goals of the café is to bring the fans of Star Wars and Batman, ranging from kids to family and passionate collectors, together for events, gatherings, screenings, and more.

Another goal of the café is to support collectors around the world, especially in Japan, where many collectors are old, by arranging a special place or museum where their collections can be reserved or donated to other younger people who have the passion of collecting.

Read More: Japanese collector owns one of the biggest & rarest Batman collections in the world