POCA SPOT Expands to Shibuya, Japan After Hong Kong MTR, Becoming a Global Hub for K-POP Fans

Provided by Infludio

Infludeo, which operates the K-POP photocard specialty store "POCA SPOT," officially opened its new offline store "POCA SPOT by K Village" on May 15, 2026, inside the "K Village Shibuya Ekimae (in front of the station)" branch in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, aiming to expand the global K-POP fandom experience. This store was established through a strategic partnership with K Village Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shinjuku, Tokyo; CEO: Motonari Kuwahara), which operates "K Village Korean," the largest Korean language academy in Japan.

Previously, Infludeo signed a partnership with Hong Kong’s public transport operator MTR and launched POCA SPOT locations at major local transportation hubs, including Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong Station, and Kowloon High-Speed Rail Station, marking its official entry into overseas markets. The new Shibuya location in Japan is Infludeo's second overseas expansion following Hong Kong, reflecting the company's accelerating global expansion strategy.

POCA SPOT, already a popular destination for K-POP fans in Hongdae and Myeongdong in Seoul, is a specialty offline store where fans can purchase K-POP photocards and experience the culture of collecting them. Since K-POP idol albums typically include photocards at random, these items have become highly valued collectibles among fans. The "joy of not knowing which card you will get" and "anticipation of possibly finding a card you do not yet own" are core experiential values unique to POCA SPOT.

Notably, POCA SPOT operates an exclusive system in which customers purchase photocards through Lucky Draw vending machines, offering the unique excitement of drawing a card on the spot at the offline store. This has resonated with fans, who appreciate the instant thrill provided by the physical retail experience.

All photocards handled by the store are official, authentic products that have passed the company’s proprietary verification and inspection process. Based on its unique authentication expertise, Infludeo provides a safe and reliable environment for consumers. Additionally, the store differentiates itself by carefully selecting the most popular photocards among fans, using data verified through "POCAMARKET," the largest photocard trading platform in Korea.

The strategy of combining officially verified merchandise with the entertainment element of offline vending machines is expected to both satisfy the strong demand among local fans for a trustworthy purchasing environment and establish a new form of offline K-POP fan culture.

This expansion into Japan is built on the synergy with K Village, a leading provider of Korean language and culture education. As the number of Japanese learners starting to study Korean through K-POP and Korean dramas continues to grow, POCA SPOT is expected to become a new gateway for K-POP fans to experience Korean culture more closely. K Village, for its part, plans to expand opportunities for students to directly experience Korean culture beyond just language learning.

Sukbin Kang, Head of B2B Business at Infludeo, stated, "Through our collaboration with Hong Kong MTR, we were able to witness the enthusiastic response from fans to POCA SPOT overseas," and added, "Building on the launch of the Shibuya store in Japan, we plan to continuously expand the global K-POP fan experience."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.