As the ‘Bonbon Drop Sticker’, which is very popular among Japanese children, is in short supply, Japanese broadcaster TBS reported that an increasing number of Japanese tourists are visiting Korea to save it.
The Bonbon Drop Sticker is a three-dimensional sticker released by Kuria, a Japanese stationery company, in March 2024. With its plump, three-dimensional shape and sparkling texture, the trend is spreading as Japanese celebrities are known to be collecting them. It is said that there is even a shortage in Japan.
As it becomes difficult to obtain the desired product, some Japanese are buying stickers in Korea for traveling to Korea.
It is easy to find Japanese tourists looking for stickers at general stores in Myeong-dong and Hongdae, Seoul, which are crowded with tourists.
A Japanese tourist told TBS, “I couldn’t get one in Japan, so I wanted to buy one in Korea. I came here to buy one even though it was expensive.” In fact, many Japanese tourists buy dozens of them at once. A Japanese tourist who shopped at a store near Hongik University said, “I bought about 30.”
Due to this situation, some stores are quickly running out of stock due to mass purchases by Japanese tourists. An employee of a general store said, “Most Japanese customers are more than Korean customers, and some people buy them all at once,” adding, “They are so popular that they are sold out right away.”
The price is also higher than the regular price in Japan. In Korea, one sticker is sold at around 10,000 won (8.31 U.S. dollars), which is twice the price of the sticker sold in Japan, but Japanese people are still enthusiastic about buying it.
SALLY LEE
US ASIA JOURNAL
