From Friday, December 4 to Friday, December 25, 2026 (22 days), reload, a commercial space on the Shimokita Line Street (下北線路街) in Shimokitazawa, will host the Christmas event "reload YOUR LOVE" in collaboration with Gachapin & Mukku, the popular characters loved across generations.
During the event, artwork of Gachapin & Mukku drawn especially for the event by artist AYAKA FUKANO will decorate the building. At the entrance, a pop-up store will bring together collaboration products from brands drawing attention in the culture scene and Gachapin & Mukku. The event also includes a greeting event with Gachapin & Mukku at reload, along with Christmas-only menus and campaigns at the individual shops. Visitors from adults to children can enjoy a Christmas experience unique to reload.
About the Theme "reload YOUR LOVE"
There is always love to remember and reload.
(There is always love to be remembered, and love that is renewed.)
Memories of childhood days spent with Gachapin & Mukku, and nostalgic memories of watching them on television, stay somewhere in people's hearts even after they grow up. "reload YOUR LOVE" is a Christmas-themed event about looking back on those memories while making new ones with yourself, your family, and your friends.
Greeting with Gachapin & Mukku on Saturday, December 19
On Saturday, December 19, during the event period, Gachapin & Mukku will appear at reload for a greeting event. Visitors can spend a memorable time with family, friends, and loved ones. A workshop that children can enjoy is also planned.
- Date: Saturday, December 19, 2026
- Where They Appear: reload entrance and various spots in the building
- Details: Greeting with Gachapin & Mukku, plus a workshop planned for children
Details of the greeting and workshop will be announced in due course through press releases and the official social media accounts.
Key Visual and Artist AYAKA FUKANO
AYAKA FUKANO is an artist who continues to create pop, warm works that make people smile, on the theme of "love," something that causes no trouble no matter how much of it there is in the world. She is active in many areas, including solo exhibitions in Japan and overseas and brand collaborations. Instagram: @ayaka_fukano
The key visual for the event was drawn by her especially for this occasion. The illustration depicts the theme "reload YOUR LOVE," which was born from her nostalgic childhood memories of days spent with Gachapin & Mukku. It shows friends gathering around Gachapin & Mukku and spending time as they please, expressing the connections between people and the preciousness of time spent with loved ones. The artwork will color a Christmas in which each visitor can feel love and warmth.
Collaboration Pop-Up (COLLABORATION BRAND)
To liven up the event, 10 brands that co-create culture and sensibility unique to reload will join the collaboration, alongside limited-edition reload x Gachapin & Mukku goods. Each brand will sell limited items available only here.
AMANE MURAKAMI
This is an art collaboration between Amane Murakami and Gachapin & Mukku. The names "Gachapin" and "Mukku" are written in calligraphy that draws on the shading of the ink and the energy of the brush, then layered many times onto clothing by silkscreen. The energy of the brush is transferred to the screen, and after a breath, another layer is added. Treating each garment as a single canvas and searching for the balance between lettering and blank space, the artist gives every piece a different expression. The familiar characters become one-of-a-kind art to wear. Instagram: AMANE MURAKAMI
TUCKSHOP
TUCKSHOP is a unisex brand that loosens set uniforms and outfits through play. Built around playing with color and size, it adds a little deviation and playfulness to everyday clothes. For this collaboration, the "P" in TUCKSHOP becomes "P-chan" (Pちゃん) on a printed T-shirt and a sacoche, and Gachapin & Mukku appear on bags. "With old friends, toward new days. Come on, it's an adventure!" Instagram: TUCKSHOP
NON TOKYO
Under the concept "ROMANTIC LEISURE," NON TOKYO proposes leisurewear that combines eye-catching, girly details with functional materials and practical details. Each season, the brand sets a theme that looks at Tokyo from above and focuses on the various activities scattered across the city and what comes with them. In the product transfer series it releases every season, Gachapin & Mukku are boldly printed, and limited items are offered in combination with the brand's original graphics. Instagram: NON TOKYO
SOL KENDAMAS
Sol Kendamas, founded in 2014, sees kendama not merely as a toy but as something that connects people. Through products and events that beginners and pros alike can enjoy, it aims to expand its community and connect all kinds of people. The Gachapin & Mukku kendama connects people across ages and generations. Laser engraving covers the entire ball in 360 degrees and shows Gachapin & Mukku in many different poses. The brand hopes that playing with this kendama lets people feel the fun and nostalgia of kendama, along with memories of the two characters who have been loved for many years. Instagram: SolKendamas
Forever ever
Forever ever is a Tokyo-based select shop that proposes items to love for a long time. It values culture and the stories behind products, and carries books, apparel, and local folk toys without limiting itself to a genre. For this event, it offers a special UFO papier-mâché (hariko) fishing game supervised by torinoko and decorated with Gachapin & Mukku, a piece that shows traditional technique and a sense of play. Instagram: Forever ever
THE LITTLE APPLE
THE LITTLE APPLE is a juice brand run by creative director Uchi and his wife Hitomi. Made with 100% apples harvested at a grandmother's farm in Sannohe Town, Aomori Prefecture, the juice comes in special limited-edition Gachapin & Mukku bottles designed by Kazuki Kuraishi. Instagram: THE LITTLE APPLE
CCX
CCX is a select shop that mixes new and vintage clothing, proposing "the counterattack of the minority and the joy of discovering edgy things." Gachapin & Mukku graphics are applied to special vintage pieces carefully chosen by the shop owner, making every item a one-of-a-kind limited piece. The lineup includes hoodies, flannel shirts, military items, and small accessories. Instagram: CCX
NICHINAN GROUP
NICHINAN GROUP handles everything from design to engineering, prototyping, and manufacturing. For this collaboration, it combines the group's overall capabilities with the sensibility of its apparel business "ritsu." Using the manufacturing technology it has built up along with a sense of play, it expresses the appeal of Gachapin & Mukku in a new form. Drawing on vivid colors, transparency, and the delicate expression possible with a 3D printer, with attention to every detail, the group combines a variety of technologies with free thinking to present collaboration items available only here. Instagram: NICHINAN GROUP / ritsu
Full details of the limited collaboration goods and items for sale from each brand will be announced in due course through press releases and the official social media accounts. More participating brands are planned to be added.
Event Details
- Event Name: reload YOUR LOVE
- Dates: Friday, December 4 to Friday, December 25, 2026, 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM (business hours vary by shop)
- Venue: reload (3-19-20 Kitazawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo)
- Access: 4-minute walk from Shimokitazawa Station on the Odakyu Line and Keio Inokashira Line, or 4-minute walk from Higashi-Kitazawa Station on the Odakyu Line
- Admission: Free (food, drinks, and shopping at the shops in the building are charged separately)
- Latest Information: Official Instagram @reload_shimokita / Official website https://reload-shimokita.com
About reload
reload opened on June 16, 2021, between Shimokitazawa Station and Higashi-Kitazawa Station. Built around the concept of strolling and lingering, it is a one-of-a-kind street of individual shops that feels like a back alley, where lively neighbors co-create Shimokita's new culture. Tenants include OGAWA COFFEE LABORATORY SHIMOKITAZAWA, an experiential bean salon from a Kyoto coffee roaster; Shimokita Chaen Oyama (しもきた茶苑大山), a Japanese tea specialty shop that has been in Shimokitazawa for 56 years, run by the Oyama brothers, who hold the rank of Chashi Judan (茶師十段); and Tokyo Vegan Bakes, which offers new options that are kind to people, animals, and the planet.
The latest events and campaign information can be found on the official Instagram account @reload_shimokita and the website https://reload-shimokita.com.
