Japan celebrates birth of royal baby, brings Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to shop in Omotesando

We can just imagine how immensely excited all of England must be about the birth of the new princess (and we’ve all swooned over the darling pictures, haven’t we?) … because we’re pretty excited here in Japan too! It seems the Japanese public has always had a fondness for the British royal family, perhaps because we have our own well-respected and loved imperial family, and the new royal baby has received huge attention on the Japanese media.

We’ve been so delighted with the birth of Princess Charlotte, in fact, that a British themed boutique in Omotesando, Tokyo, has welcomed to their store the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge — well, their very life-like figures, actually, and we visited the shop to join in the celebration!

The royal figures were making their appearance at Vulcanize London‘s Minami-aoyama shop located near Omotesando Station, a shopping area known for its numerous high-end boutiques and cafes. The shop specializes in British luxury brands such as Smython, Fox Umbrellas and Globe-Trotter, bringing a piece of sophisticated and stylish England to Japan, and they decided to celebrate Princess Charlotte’s birth by setting up a mini “royal baby celebration exhibit” featuring the figures of Prince William and Kate Middleton, courtesy of Madame Tussauds Tokyo.

▼ Here we were at the Vulcanize London Minami-aoyama shop.

▼ We could see the royal couple from outside!

▼ Not surprisingly, the interior of the shop is very elegant and stylish.

▼ And here’s the exhibit space that was set up by the shop entrance.

▼ The display was lovely, decorated with festive looking balloons and flowers.

Guests are welcome to get up close and take pictures with the figures, and that’s not all! You can enter a special campaign by uploading your picture to Instagram, Facebook or Twitter with the hashtag #vzlrbpa. Twenty photos will be selected to be featured in the “Vulcanize London x Madame Tussauds Best Album” on Vulcanize London’s Facebook page, and the 20 winners will receive a pair of tickets to Madame Tussauds Tokyo.

▼ The sign announcing the “Vulcanize London x Madame Tussauds Best Album” campaign:

▼ It was good fun getting a close look at the figures!

▼ There was a stand with brochures letting everyone know that the figures were from Madame Tussauds Tokyo.

▼ The display also featured Globe-Trotter’s Goring Hotel Second Edition collection of suitcases, which they’re calling the “Royal Suite II” collection in Japan.

▼ They’re exquisite to look at, and they come with price tags to match! Shown here from top to bottom are: the nine-inch utility case (100,000 yen [US$834]), the 21-inch suitcase (260,000 yen [$2,168], the 28-inch suitcase (310,000 yen [$2,585]) and the 33-inch suitcase (350,000 yen [$2,918]).

▼ The inside of each case is lined with a damask silk that is a miniature of the covering used on the walls in the Royal Suite at The Goring Hotel, where Princess Kate stayed before her wedding in 2011.

▼ The first edition Goring Hotel collection, which was released in 2013 around the time the couple’s first child, Prince George, was born, apparently had silk linings with the same patterns but in a light green color.

▼ Yes, the suitcases are gorgeous whatever angle you look at them from.

▼ There were also a few framed photos displayed unobtrusively on the sofa, next to the suitcases, and the picture of Prince George was just adorable!

Well, it was wonderful being able to take our leisurely time looking at the figures and suitcases, but we were almost finished here.

▼ Some final shots of Prince William and Princess Kate before we left:

If you’re in the Tokyo area and you’d like to pay the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge a visit, Vulcanize London will have the celebratory display on show until Tuesday, May 12, and if you do decide to drop by, be prepared to be seriously tempted not just by the latest fashions available in Omotesando, but also by tasty coffee and sweets, as shops like Coutume, Blue Bottle Coffee and Granny Smith Apple Pie and Coffee are very close by.

Once again, here’s a huge congratulations from all of us in Japan to Prince William and Princess Kate on their beautiful new daughter!

[Details of Vulcanize London Minami-aoyama store]
Address: 5-8-5 Minami-aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0062
(〒107-0062 東京都港区南青山 5-8-5)
2 min from B1 Exit of Omotesando Station (subway Ginza Line and Hanzomon Line)
Open: Mon – Sat 11:00am – 20:00pm, Sun 11:00am – 19:00om
Tel: 03-5464-5255

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