Rakuten Cafe hosts unique FC Barcelona exhibition
Every Barca fan’s bucket list includes a visit to the famed FCB Museum in Barcelona. For those unable to make the pilgrimage, however, the next best thing may be the “FC Barcelona Uniform Collection,” an exhibition being held at Rakuten Cafe in Shibuya, Tokyo, until the end of March 2018.
On January 18, FCB Museum Director Jordi Penas and Agesilaos Papadopoulos, one of the world’s top football memorabilia collectors, were on hand at Rakuten Cafe to kick off the show, which features 48 match jerseys spanning the 1980-81 through to 2013-14 seasons. The jerseys are from Papadopoulos’ personal collection, and this is the first time they have been shown outside of Barcelona.
Upon entering the exhibition, Barca fans will enjoy a trip down memory lane as they take in jerseys emblazoned with the names of legendary players such as Kluivert, Stoichkov, Figo, Overmars, Xavi, and Puyol. Current greats Iniesta, Pique and Messi are also represented. Even casual fans will be able to appreciate the collection, which includes a replica of the Macaya Cup won by the team in the 1901-1902 season. While dates have yet to be announced, thanks to innovative mixed reality (MR) technology developed by the Rakuten Institute of Technology, visitors will also be able to don special glasses to enjoy interactive content related to each exhibit. The MR experience will include footage of the players wearing the jerseys on display and videos explaining the FC Barcelona and Rakuten partnership, which kicked off in the summer of 2017.
Rakuten Cafe in Shibuya is quickly gaining a reputation as a gathering point for Japan’s FC Barcelona fans, following a visit by a number of superstar players last summer and the subsequent FCB-flavored redecoration of the cafe’s third floor, which also occasionally hosts FCB match-viewing events for fans.
“FC Barcelona Uniform Collection” runs for a limited time from January 19 through March 31, 2018 at Rakuten Cafe in Shibuya, Tokyo. Entry is free.
