Get a taste of local culture with a new souvenir range that captures the unique charms of Japan’s regions.

Starbucks has always been a great supporter of the neighbourhoods in Japan where it sets up shop, blending into the traditional landscape with uniquely designed branches, teaming up with local craftsmen to create new goods, and even supporting local artists with gallery space for exhibitions.

Now, the chain is supporting a wide swathe of the country’s regions by releasing a brand new range of exclusive souvenirs, in what Starbucks is calling the “Discovery Series”.


According to Starbucks, this new collection replaces the Been There Series, the chain’s previous regional line, serving up a whole new look that shines a light on everyday life in various regions with more colourful, playful illustrations.

Like its predecessor, the Discovery Series has been created in collaboration with Starbucks employees from each region, who provided insight into local landmarks, activities and customs that best represent their areas. The product development team visited each region and held roundtable discussions with 10 to 15 employees to fully unearth the unique characteristics of each area.

▼ One of the actual roundtable discussions, albeit at rectangular tables.

The new collection aims to introduce more locally inspired details than ever before, with designs that contain some surprising motifs you wouldn’t expect to see on a regional souvenir.

▼ The Tokyo design, for instance, showcases the city’s famously crowded commuter trains.

Osaka includes references to manzai (a popular two-person comedy style where one plays the fool, known as “boke” and the other a straight-man, “tsukkomi”). It also pays homage to the local “ame-chan” culture, a tradition of carrying sweets and offering them to others as a friendly gesture.

The Fukuoka design celebrates the region’s lively cheering culture, with references to the passionate group chants often heard at local festivals and sporting events.

One of the sweetest details across all the designs is the Starbucks paper cup, which is hidden somewhere in each artwork, continuing a tradition from the Been There Series that encourages customers to search for the tiny illustration like a treasure hunt.

The designs adorn a wide range of products, starting with the Discovery Series Mug (414 millilitres [14 ounces], 2,800 yen [US$19]).

There will be a total of 19 regional mugs covering Hokkaido, Sendai, Tochigi, Tokyo, Yokohama, Kanazawa, Nagano, Gifu, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Nara, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Oita and Okinawa.

There’ll also be a nationwide Japan design, for those who might not be able to choose a favourite area and instead want to show their love for the entire country.

The stainless steel bottles, pin badge sets and eco bags will be available in a Japan edition and six regional designs: Hokkaido, Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Fukuoka and Okinawa.

▼ Each 473-millilitre Stainless Steel Bottle will retail for 5,800 yen, while the Pin Badge Set will retail for 2,950 yen.

▼ In addition to the eco bags (2,800 yen each) there’ll also be a notebook (2,200 yen), in the Japan design only.

According to Starbucks, the new collection reflects the changing way people travel around Japan, with increasing numbers of visitors seeking deeper cultural experiences beyond the country’s best-known landmarks. As more visitors make return trips to the country, they tend to explore further afield, and these regional exclusives serve as a fond reminder of the unique joys to be found on journeys made beyond the beaten path.

The Discovery Series will be available at participating Starbucks stores across Japan from 22 July, with sales at the online store starting a day earlier, on 21 July. With 47 prefectures around Japan, and each one once having its very own exclusive Frappuccino, we’re looking forward to seeing what other discoveries will be made when the series expands in future.

Source: Press release
Featured image: Starbucks Japan
Insert images: Starbucks Japan, Press release
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