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Starbucks releases tear-jerking new video inspired by heartwarming encounters in Japanese stores

Oona McGee Aug 14, 2026
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A beautiful homage to the true stories of customers and staff at Starbucks Japan.

It’s been 30 years since Starbucks opened in Japan, and since then the chain has grown to include 2,100 stores across all 47 prefectures, with approximately 60,000 staff serving nearly 1 million customers every day.

Those are big numbers for a 30-year-old business, and to celebrate these three decades in Japan, the chain has released a tear-jerking new video that looks back at the many small moments and connections that have taken place at its stores over the years.

Starbucks says around 3 billion “hellos” and “thank yous” have been exchanged between customers and employees across its stores, and this new video pays homage to those exchanges, depicting moments of happiness and sadness that Starbucks learned about through interviews with staff and stories and comments submitted by customers.

Titled “Starbucks 30th Anniversary Brand Movie”, the video was released on 12 August, and displays a distinctive hand-crafted style inspired by the handwritten chalkboards associated with Starbucks stores.

▼ Take a look at the video below, and remember to keep some tissues handy!

From a daughter who grows up all too fast before her father’s eyes to the student who fails her entrance exam, and the elderly couple who are no longer able to enjoy each other’s company at Starbucks, this video really knows how to pull on the heartstrings. The message the chain wants to convey through the video is that Starbucks staff are always looking out for their customers, supporting them with smiles… and a little something to drink.

Helping to make the tears flow is an original song by singer-songwriter Anri Kumaki. Kumaki composed the music and provided the vocals while director Shinya Nakajima (a recipient of many awards including the Cannes Lions Grand Prix) wrote the lyrics based on the stories he heard while working on the project.

▼ Anri Kumaki

▼ Shinya Nakajima

Providing the art is award-winning art director Hidehito Yagi and his team, who spent every day drawing as part of what he described as a challenging but enjoyable process.

▼ Hidehito Yagi

▼ You can see both directors working on the project in the behind-the-scenes making-of video below.

So next time you step into a Starbucks in Japan, take heart in knowing that your story helps to contribute to the history of the chain. Whether you’re there for a happy occasion or to seek out some solace on a tough day, Starbucks wants all its customers to know that their stories, however small, are part of the story of Starbucks Japan.

Source, images: Press release
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