Second U-NEXT Kids Permanent Corner Opens in Ion Mall Morioka! Creating Real Touchpoints to Drive Service Awareness and Understanding
U-NEXT opened its second permanent 'U-NEXT Kids' corner on April 24, 2026, within the food court of Ion Mall Morioka. This initiative aims to build brand awareness through real-world touchpoints for its digital service.
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- 📰 Published: April 28, 2026 at 22:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 28, 2026 at 13:31
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U-NEXT Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; President: Tenshin Tsutsumi), part of the USEN & U-NEXT GROUP, opened a permanent U-NEXT Kids corner in the Food Forest (food court) within Ion Mall Morioka (Location: Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture) on April 24th (Friday). This is the second store following the Ion Supercenter Morioka Shibu-tami store, which reopened in April 2025.
U-NEXT Kids has been striving to enrich its kids' genre since 2024 under the concept 'Watch, Read, Learn. U-NEXT for Kids.' In addition to expanding the video lineup, it launched 'Kids Unlimited Reading,' which allows users to enjoy over 4,300 children's books within the monthly plan. Furthermore, U-NEXT aims to provide a more attractive kids' genre by producing and distributing original content such as the storytelling program 'Nemuruma Ehon' and the completely new craft program 'Ugo Kosaku.'
Being a digital service, U-NEXT also focuses on creating physical spaces. In April 2025, a permanent 'U-NEXT Kids Corner' opened in the Ion Supercenter Morioka Shibu-tami. The current opening at Ion Mall Morioka marks the second location.
Ion Mall Morioka, which opened in August 2003, is a large shopping mall with good access from distant areas and expects to attract customers from across the region. Under the concept 'A Landmark of Fun for North Tohoku,' it has been undergoing sequential renovations since Spring 2026, leading to this collaboration with U-NEXT Kids.
In the Food Forest (food court), the walls and seating areas have been renovated with U-NEXT Kids designs. Additionally, 'Playable Pamphlets' featuring hidden object games and coloring are distributed, and monitors allow visitors to enjoy snippets of works delivered on U-NEXT. In the future, the companies plan to utilize large monitors in Ion Mall Morioka for live sports viewing and hold 'Ugo Kosaku' workshops, among various other collaborations.
Regarding this initiative, Takahiro Otawara, General Manager of Ion Mall Morioka, and Tenshin Tsutsumi, President of U-NEXT, commented as follows:
Comment from Takahiro Otawara, General Manager, Ion Mall Morioka, Ion Mall Co., Ltd.:
'Ion Mall Morioka will reopen sequentially from Spring 2026. In this renovation, under the concept "A Landmark of Fun for North Tohoku," we will evolve into a mall filled with further "fun" and excitement in daily life, providing experiences that can only be found here in North Tohoku.
In our new initiative with U-NEXT, we have installed "Kids Seating" in the Food Forest (food court) where visitors can enjoy U-NEXT's kids' content. In addition to meals, visitors can further enjoy entertainment. Furthermore, to ensure families can enjoy shopping and dining comfortably, we have revamped facilities and services, including baby rooms with disaster prevention buzzers, a wooden play area called "Mokuiku Hiroba" made of natural wood, and interactive digital signage. Please spend a fun day at Ion Mall Morioka, which has pursued even more fun.'
Comment from Tenshin Tsutsumi, President, U-NEXT Co., Ltd.:
'Following the Ion Supercenter Morioka Shibu-tami store, we are very pleased to open a permanent U-NEXT corner at Ion Mall Morioka. For us as a digital service, it is a very valuable opportunity to have touchpoints with families within Ion's stores, which are rooted in daily life. I hope this will be an opportunity for those who did not know U-NEXT before to experience the service.
In the future, we plan to develop various activities through this physical location, such as sports viewing and craft workshops. Through our collaboration with Ion Mall, we aim to increase touchpoints with families and deepen the awareness and understanding of our service. We also look forward to realizing various opportunities for interaction beyond the service itself. Please look forward to it.'
U-NEXT Kids' initiatives will be announced on the dedicated website, as well as on official Instagram and X accounts. Please look forward to it.
About U-NEXT:
U-NEXT is the No. 1 video streaming service for the number of unlimited viewing works. In addition to over 460,000 titles including movies, dramas, and anime, users can watch world-class sports such as soccer, golf, and martial arts in real-time, along with music lives and stage performances. Furthermore, it delivers over 1.29 million manga and books, providing a seamless experience for video, books, sports, and lives in a single app.
U-NEXT Kids has been striving to enrich its kids' genre since 2024 under the concept 'Watch, Read, Learn. U-NEXT for Kids.' In addition to expanding the video lineup, it launched 'Kids Unlimited Reading,' which allows users to enjoy over 4,300 children's books within the monthly plan. Furthermore, U-NEXT aims to provide a more attractive kids' genre by producing and distributing original content such as the storytelling program 'Nemuruma Ehon' and the completely new craft program 'Ugo Kosaku.'
Being a digital service, U-NEXT also focuses on creating physical spaces. In April 2025, a permanent 'U-NEXT Kids Corner' opened in the Ion Supercenter Morioka Shibu-tami. The current opening at Ion Mall Morioka marks the second location.
Ion Mall Morioka, which opened in August 2003, is a large shopping mall with good access from distant areas and expects to attract customers from across the region. Under the concept 'A Landmark of Fun for North Tohoku,' it has been undergoing sequential renovations since Spring 2026, leading to this collaboration with U-NEXT Kids.
In the Food Forest (food court), the walls and seating areas have been renovated with U-NEXT Kids designs. Additionally, 'Playable Pamphlets' featuring hidden object games and coloring are distributed, and monitors allow visitors to enjoy snippets of works delivered on U-NEXT. In the future, the companies plan to utilize large monitors in Ion Mall Morioka for live sports viewing and hold 'Ugo Kosaku' workshops, among various other collaborations.
Regarding this initiative, Takahiro Otawara, General Manager of Ion Mall Morioka, and Tenshin Tsutsumi, President of U-NEXT, commented as follows:
Comment from Takahiro Otawara, General Manager, Ion Mall Morioka, Ion Mall Co., Ltd.:
'Ion Mall Morioka will reopen sequentially from Spring 2026. In this renovation, under the concept "A Landmark of Fun for North Tohoku," we will evolve into a mall filled with further "fun" and excitement in daily life, providing experiences that can only be found here in North Tohoku.
In our new initiative with U-NEXT, we have installed "Kids Seating" in the Food Forest (food court) where visitors can enjoy U-NEXT's kids' content. In addition to meals, visitors can further enjoy entertainment. Furthermore, to ensure families can enjoy shopping and dining comfortably, we have revamped facilities and services, including baby rooms with disaster prevention buzzers, a wooden play area called "Mokuiku Hiroba" made of natural wood, and interactive digital signage. Please spend a fun day at Ion Mall Morioka, which has pursued even more fun.'
Comment from Tenshin Tsutsumi, President, U-NEXT Co., Ltd.:
'Following the Ion Supercenter Morioka Shibu-tami store, we are very pleased to open a permanent U-NEXT corner at Ion Mall Morioka. For us as a digital service, it is a very valuable opportunity to have touchpoints with families within Ion's stores, which are rooted in daily life. I hope this will be an opportunity for those who did not know U-NEXT before to experience the service.
In the future, we plan to develop various activities through this physical location, such as sports viewing and craft workshops. Through our collaboration with Ion Mall, we aim to increase touchpoints with families and deepen the awareness and understanding of our service. We also look forward to realizing various opportunities for interaction beyond the service itself. Please look forward to it.'
U-NEXT Kids' initiatives will be announced on the dedicated website, as well as on official Instagram and X accounts. Please look forward to it.
About U-NEXT:
U-NEXT is the No. 1 video streaming service for the number of unlimited viewing works. In addition to over 460,000 titles including movies, dramas, and anime, users can watch world-class sports such as soccer, golf, and martial arts in real-time, along with music lives and stage performances. Furthermore, it delivers over 1.29 million manga and books, providing a seamless experience for video, books, sports, and lives in a single app.