Wodonga’s Mann Central shopping centre is now home to a specialty shop selling Japanese food and gifts.
Hi-Q Japan, next door to Greenstreat, had its grand opening on Tuesday, attracting plenty of interest from customers on both sides of the border.
The owner, Greg Gao, moved to Wodonga from Japan three years ago and has a string of successful sushi eateries across both sides of the border, including Sushi Frenzy, also in Mann Central.
He fell in love with Wodonga and its friendly culture, which led him to open this store.
It follows the success of the original Hi-Q Japan store which was launched on the Sunshine Coast in 2019.
“We opened at 10am and it has been very busy all day, there’s a lot of interest in our shop,” Hi-Q Japan marketing officer Hanna Chong said.
“We have a lot of gifts like keychains, lucky cats, cushions, soft toys and lollies.”
The store also offers a range of Japanese-made products including snacks, accessories, icecreams, skin care and beauty products, as well as a tea bar selling many popular Japanese drinks including bubble tea and matcha tea.
“Bubble tea was initially a trend but it continues to be popular, people just love it,” Hanna said.
“We brew Japanese tea every morning to make sure it’s fresh.”
The store is open from 10am to 6pm Monday to Friday and 10am to 4pm on Saturday and Sunday.
The opening hours are subject to change depending on demand.