New world’s biggest Muji just opened in Japan, and we paid it a visit【Photos】

Massive Mujirushi isn’t located in Tokyo or Osaka.

It’s hard to fully explain just how many different things Mujirushi Ryohin, a.k.a. Muji, sells. They’re probably best known as a furniture and housewares store, but they also sell clothing, appliances, and a full range of toiletries. They even offer a huge selection of food and drink, with their cakes and curries being especially popular.

Really, Mujirushi sells just about everything, and the product lineup at any individual branch is more likely to be limited by floor space than anything else. So it’s exciting news for fans that there’s a new Muji that’s just opened up, and it’s the biggest one in the entire world.

You won’t find the world’s largest Mujirushi in Tokyo or Osaka, though. Instead it’s in Kashihara, Nara Prefecture, and part of the town’s Aeon Mall shopping center. The store’s grand opening to the public was on March 1, but we got to visit a few days early and check out its 8,201 square meters (88,274 square feet) of floorspace as part of a press event.

If you’re having a hard time visualizing just how big 8,201 square meters is, maybe a glance at the store’s map, from its official website, will help convey the scale.

The interior is so big that you can’t really see all the way from one end to the other. Thankfully, section markers hanging from the ceiling help you navigate around and find what you’re looking for.

▼ And yes, there’s a section marker for Mujirushi’s famous curry pouches.

Having so much room allows for more spacious displays of things that often get crammed into the corners of other Muji branches, like the pet supplies section.

The frozen food section is also gigantic, bigger than what you’ll find at some neighborhood supermarkets in Japan.

Having so much space also allows this Muji to have some things that most others don’t. For example, this is the first Muji that’s also a bookstore, and the book section even has its own attached cafe, called Hon to Kissa, that serves a variety of drinks, onigiri rice balls, rice dishes, and even grilled fish, all of which tasted delicious in our sampling session.

This is separate from the other dining option inside the store, the Cafe & Meal Muji, which has light fare…

…but more importantly also has ice cream.

The book section has an inventory of roughly 100,000 books, both new and used. Looking through the used section, we even spotted a few movie pamphlets for Spirited Away, Castle in the Sky Laputa, and other theatrically released anime.

Also of note is the Re Muji section, which has used interior pieces which have been professionally cleaned by Muji and now carry a charming rustic authenticity.

And if you want to get really historical, a unique offering of the world’s largest Mujirushi is haniwa dolls, terracotta figurines associated with the Nara region since the Kofun period (the 3rd to 6th centuries).

▼ The dolls sold at Mujirushi are made by local artisan Morita Meisanten, a shop located near the city’s Kashihara Shrine.

Kashihra doesn’t make it onto too many tourism itineraries, but it’s only an hour from Nara Station and 75 minutes from Osaka and Kyoto Stations, so if you’re looking to tack a visit to the world’s largest Muji onto your travel plans, it’s a definitely doable detour.

Store information
Mujirushi Ryohin (Aeon Mall Kashihara branch) / 無印良品（イオンモール橿原店）
Address: Nara-ken, Kashihara-shi, Shindo-cho 189-1
奈良県橿原市新堂町189番-1
Open 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
Website

Store map: Mujirushi
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