Tokyo Berry is a South Korean dessert brand that launched in June 2026, selling fresh fruit wrapped in glutinous rice cake — it is not Japanese.
The confusion is understandable: the name, logo and pastel boxes closely mirror Tokyo Banana, the famous Japanese souvenir cake, and shoppers queued at Lotte and Shinsegae believing it was a sister product.
This post explains who makes what, why every pop-up was cancelled, and how to check a dessert brand before you join a line at a Korean department store.
Contents
- Is Tokyo Berry a Japanese brand?
- Why were Tokyo Berry pop-ups cancelled?
- Tokyo Banana vs Tokyo Berry: what is actually different
- Where can you actually buy Tokyo Banana?
- What happened to Tokyo Berry’s Instagram and its maker?
- How to check a dessert brand before buying at a pop-up
Is Tokyo Berry a Japanese brand?
Tokyo Berry is a South Korean dessert brand launched in June 2026, selling mochi made with seasonal fresh fruit wrapped in glutinous rice cake.
The name follows Tokyo Banana’s pattern — a place name plus a fruit — and the packaging copies more than the name.
Consumers and Korean media flagged the serif all-capitalised logo, the letter spacing, the placement of the fruit illustration, the stamp-style mark in the lower right, and the pastel gift box as closely mirroring Tokyo Banana’s look.
The brand’s own social media made it worse: posts said ‘Tokyo Berry has opened in Korea’ and ‘Welcome to Korea, Welcome to Tokyo Berry’, phrasing critics read as a Japanese brand arriving in Korea.
Some viral promotion accounts even called it ‘a dessert hard to get even in Japan’ — which is factually false, because Tokyo Berry has no stores in Japan.
If you saw queue photos and assumed a Japanese dessert brand had landed in Korea, that was the designed impression — the naming, the box and the marketing all pointed that way.
When a dessert brand carries a foreign city’s name, I check the company’s official website and business registration first, because the name alone tells you nothing about where it is from.
Shoppers did exactly what the branding invited: one said they bought it thinking Tokyo Banana’s manufacturer had launched a new strawberry version, and others posted that they only learned it was unrelated after checking the official website.
One fact settles it: Tokyo Banana debuted in 1991 — 35 years before Tokyo Berry.
| What it is | Banana-shaped sponge cake filled with banana custard, often compared to a Twinkie with banana filling | Fresh fruit wrapped in glutinous rice cake, sold in gift-box packaging |
|---|---|
| Made by | Grapestone, a Japanese confectionery company | Not publicly confirmed |
| First sold | 1991, as a Japanese airport and train station souvenir | June 2026, at Korean department store pop-ups |
| Where it sells | Airports, train stations and department stores across Japan; in Singapore since late 2020 (Cold Storage, Don Don Donki, online) | Only pop-up stores in Korea; no stores in Japan, no permanent retail location confirmed |
| Status | On sale as normal | All department store pop-ups cancelled by late July 2026; official Instagram reduced to two posts with comments disabled |
Why were Tokyo Berry pop-ups cancelled?
All future Tokyo Berry pop-up stores at Korean department stores were cancelled, following consumer backlash over the copied design.
Lotte said additional pop-up stores ‘will absolutely not proceed’, with stores currently running under review for early closure, and the Jamsil store ended its run around July 30–31, 2026 under the pre-agreed contract.
Shinsegae, which had hosted a pop-up including at Daegu, also stopped further bookings.
The timeline is short: Tokyo Berry launched and opened pop-ups at Lotte (Jamsil, Dongtan, Busan) and Shinsegae in June 2026, the design-similarity backlash spread in July, and by late July every department store had pulled out — roughly one to two months from launch to full withdrawal.
Department store officials said they had reviewed pop-up entries mainly on sales potential and buzz, and did not detect the design overlap in advance; one said contact with Tokyo Berry had since become difficult.
If you were planning to buy Tokyo Berry at a department store, you cannot — there is no confirmed retail channel left, and the brand’s own Instagram now shows only two posts with comments disabled.
Tokyo Banana vs Tokyo Berry: what is actually different
Tokyo Banana is a 35-year-old Japanese souvenir sponge cake; Tokyo Berry is a 2026 South Korean fresh-fruit mochi brand that launched with packaging closely mirroring it.
Tokyo Banana debuted in 1991, made by Grapestone, and is one of Japan’s best-known food souvenirs — a banana-shaped sponge filled with banana custard, often compared online to a Twinkie with banana filling, sold at Japanese airports, train stations and department stores.
Tokyo Berry sells mochi made with seasonal fresh fruit plus gift-box packaging, which spread by word of mouth on social media.
The flagged design elements: the serif all-capitalised logo, letter spacing, fruit illustration placement, stamp-style mark in the lower right, ribbon detail and pastel box structure.
The comparison is simple to apply: if you want the original banana-custard sponge, that is Tokyo Banana from Grapestone, and it is not sold in Korean department stores at all.
Online commenters called the controversy a ‘national embarrassment’, arguing that without an official collaboration or licence, this is essentially imitation — if a pop-up line confuses you about who actually makes a product, waiting and checking the official site beats joining the queue.
Where can you actually buy Tokyo Banana?
Tokyo Banana is not officially sold in Korean department stores — it is a Japanese airport, train station and department store souvenir.
If you are travelling, you will find it at airports, major stations and department stores across Japan.
Since late 2020 it has also been available in Singapore through Cold Storage, Don Don Donki and online marketplaces.
That absence in Korea is exactly why the Tokyo Berry pop-up queues misled so many buyers: a familiar souvenir name appearing in a Seoul department store felt like an arrival.
If you see a Tokyo Banana-style product at a Korean pop-up, check the maker on the box, not the design.
What happened to Tokyo Berry’s Instagram and its maker?
Tokyo Berry’s official Instagram now shows only two posts with comments disabled, and the brand has not publicly commented on the allegations.
After the backlash, the account hid or deleted most posts; influencer promotional posts remain online.
The brand has not responded to media requests for comment.
Tokyo Berry’s operating company name, corporate registration and official website were not identified in available coverage, so who runs the brand remains unconfirmed.
Grapestone, Tokyo Banana’s operator, said it has shared the issue with the relevant department and is reviewing the details — no legal action has been announced as of the latest reports.
Some consumers also accused Tokyo Berry of copying the inner wrapping of Korean dessert brand Hanjungsun, which packages its chapssaltteok in traditional hanji paper, though no brand statement has followed that accusation either.
If you are checking whether Tokyo Banana’s maker will sue, the only confirmed step is the internal review — watch Grapestone’s official channels for any announcement.
How to check a dessert brand before buying at a pop-up
More than 3,300 pop-up stores opened in South Korea last year — roughly nine per day on average — which is why per-pop-up design vetting slipped.
With runs that short, retailers often check business registration and product safety but miss trademark or packaging overlaps, and officials in this case said they vetted mainly on sales potential and buzz.
Commenters pointed out that consumers trust department store goods more than typical online products, which puts weight on the store’s screening.
Three checks to run before you queue:
- Look up the brand’s official website and business registration — a foreign place name in a brand name does not mean the brand is from that country.
- Treat a department store shelf as a sales venue, not proof of origin — the store vetted for buzz, not for design similarity.
- Be suspicious of ‘hard to get even in Japan’ framing — Tokyo Berry had no stores in Japan while that claim circulated.
If a pop-up line confuses you about who makes the product, I would rather wait and check the official site than join the queue — the queues in this case were built on the wrong assumption.
Related posts
Sources
- it.chosun.com
- 8days/CNA summary: pop-ups cancelled, Instagram gutted, Grap (8days.sg)
- pop-up market scale (3,300+/yr) and consumer-verification ad (mbcdy.com)
Key dates and what to watch
- Check the brand’s official website and social accounts for an actual company name and store locations in the country the branding implies.
- Compare the logo font, letter spacing, and packaging layout against the well-known brand you think it resembles.
- Look up the operator’s business registration and trademark status before trusting a department store pop-up.
- Wait for Grapestone’s follow-up statement and any legal action, and re-check Tokyo Berry’s Instagram for restored posts or a company response — this article’s facts are as of September 21, 2026.
FAQ
Q. Is Tokyo Berry a Japanese brand?
No. Tokyo Berry is a South Korean dessert brand launched in June 2026, selling fresh-fruit mochi. It has no stores in Japan, despite the Tokyo-themed name and packaging.
Q. Why were Tokyo Berry pop-ups cancelled?
Consumers and media flagged its logo, lettering, illustration placement and pastel boxes as closely copying Tokyo Banana’s packaging. Lotte said additional pop-ups ‘will absolutely not proceed’, and Shinsegae also stopped further bookings.
Q. Is Tokyo Berry made by the same company as Tokyo Banana?
No. Tokyo Banana is made by Japan’s Grapestone, which has existed since 1991. Tokyo Berry’s operating company has not been publicly identified.
Q. Where can I buy Tokyo Banana in Korea?
It is not officially sold in Korean department stores. It is a Japanese airport, train station and department store souvenir, also available in Singapore since late 2020 through Cold Storage, Don Don Donki and online.
Q. Can I still buy Tokyo Berry?
No confirmed retail channel remains after the pop-up cancellations. The brand’s Instagram now shows only two posts with comments disabled, and no permanent store or online shop has been confirmed.
Before you queue at the next dessert pop-up, use the checklist in the last section to verify who actually makes it.
Cover photo: AI-generated illustration (mochi fruit dessert) — AI-generated image, illustrative only
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