‘The Rise of Skywalker‘ (2019) was the last Star Wars film in cinemas in 6.5 years ago but instead of being caught up in the hype that went with the release of the ninth and final (?) part of the Skywalker saga my mind was more on season one of ‘The Mandalorian‘ which was underway.

After three seasons (as well as important appearances and storylines in ‘The Book of Boba Fett‘) of the streaming series there is now ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu‘ movie which will give fans the chance to experience a new Star Wars film on the big screen for the first time since just before the global pandemic. It’s certainly not like the content drought of the old days though as there have been various TV shows in that time.

In the buildup to the new release, I went to three fairly sizable Star Wars events in Osaka, Yokohama and Shibuya (Tokyo) which were promoting the movie in their own unique way with a series of ‘May the 4th be with you’ festivities. There may be a bit of crossover here with my recent post detailing nine different places I went to over the fortnight around Star Wars Day. That had only very brief details about what I saw in Japan’s three biggest cities so this post will take a deeper dive into those exhibits and events as well as the 2nd part of the Shibuya one which began on May 16th. Let’s start with the furthest away from home in Tokyo.

Osaka: Friday 24th April – Sunday 26th June

With a few hours to myself in Kyoto I decided against exploring the ancient city a bit more and taking in a few majestic temples. Instead, I took a very quick trip to Osaka to visit the Mainichi Broadcasting System (MBS) television studio in Umeda which had a special Star Wars exhibition and pop-up shop.

Just like the NTV Tower exhibit in Shimbashi (Tokyo) back in March, there was the opportunity to have your picture taken with the two stars of the movie. Given that you’re handed a bag containing Grogu, maybe the little green fella should not have been on the shoulders of the Din Djarin a.k.a. Mando.

There were some Osaka-exclusive goods on sale but other than them it was much of the same as the various other pop-up stores I’ve visited this year.

What was unique to this place was some of the helmet art dedicated to the legendary bounty hunter. I recognised one or two from the NTV exhibition but think the others were all new pieces of art.

There was some beautiful Japanese-style artwork displayed on the walls.

Record collectors with a love for the Star Wars soundtracks would’ve been delighted to see some coloured vinyl on sale.

Yokohama: Wednesday 29th April – Sunday 24th May

Over in the Minatomirai district of Yokohama (Japan’s second biggest city), a couple of big shopping malls were given a makeover to promote the new film. Disembark from the train at Minatomirai station and at the top of the escalator is a Grogu statue in a glass case.

Just beyond that is a mini display of Star Wars related products to whet your appetite before you hit the higher floors.

The most prominent feature in Mark IS shopping mall was the giant two-meter Grogu on the first floor.

Up on the 5th floor United Cinemas showed all 11 of the Star Wars theatrical releases over a fortnight period.

The final day included screenings of ‘The Empire Strikes Back‘ (1980) and ‘Return of the Jedi‘ (1983). I saw Episode VI in Hibiya last year so opted for Episode V this time as I had never seen that on the big screen.

Yes, I did change t-shirts for the cinema viewing!

I kind of regret not getting a special Tie-Fighter popcorn bucket before watching one of the two Star Wars films I’d never seen on the big screen. It’s only Episode III that continues to elude me despite various re-release screenings in the last couple of years! Hopefully next year I’ll have a chance again!

The nearby Landmark Plaza had a projection displaying images of the Star Wars galaxy “floating in a vast space, featuring iconic scenes and characters from the series”.

There was a merchandise store next to that selling a more selective range of goods than in Osaka. It should also be noted that there were a couple of other pop-up shops in the two aforementioned shopping malls.

The 3rd floor offered another photo opportunity with Mando and Grogu.

Shibuya (Tokyo): Friday 24th April – Thursday 16th July

The Star Wars Galaxy in Shibuya exhibition at the centrally located Tsutaya event space returned after a few months away.

Beginning at the start of May, this collection of exhibits had a ground floor display full of character statues, big screens and a wall display of all the Japanese posters for every single Star Wars movie.

It even included the often forgotten (ignored?) two Ewoks TV films from the mid-80s.

This time there has actually been a special themed cafe on the 7th floor but I’m not really a fan of spending big money on regular food items with a Star Wars related name attached to them. I do have to say that the blue sour cream for the French fries did look pretty cool though! Instead, I headed down to the fairly spacious pop-up store which was absolutely heaving with tourists taking advantage of the weak yen to purchase many Japan-only items.

The quantity of t-shirts on sale in this place really was quite astounding with hundreds and hundreds of different designs available!

Some of the Japanese comic-style wall art was really cool and appealing.

Halfway through May, the layout and design of the place was changed so I returned to see what was different. Along with different decor both externally and internally, there was another Grogu photo opportunity.

That was the journey towards ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu‘ movie which opened to the general public on May 22nd. Of course, I was there for the opening screening in my local cinema. It was really enjoyable and that’s all I’ll say about it as I am wary of spoilers. Go and see it!

9:00 am screening on the opening day

Click here to read ‘A Busy Fortnight of Star Wars Events for the ‘May the 4th be With You’ Festivities in Osaka, Tokyo & Yokohama’

Click here to read ‘2008 Vs. 2025: How Did These 2 Star Wars Celebration Japan Conventions Differ?’

Click here to read ‘This Is the Way to Put on a Free Star Wars Mandalorian & Grogu Exhibition!’

Click here to read ‘TF Top 10……Star Wars 2025 Events in Japan’

Click here to read ‘The Popularity of Star Wars Pop-Up Shops Popping Up in Tokyo Continues but Why?!’