BANGKOK -- Hundreds of shoppers queued for the opening of Japanese discount chain Don Quijote's first Thai store in Bangkok late last month, eager to experience the outlet's eye-popping array of items, from cosmetics and clothes to appliances and toys.

"I visited [Don Quijote] when I traveled to Japan, and I'm really happy they've opened a store in Bangkok," said 42-year-old Boonyanuch Buaban as she waited in line.

Don Don Donki, as the store is called in Thailand, is among more than 30 other tenants at Donki Mall Thonglor, a shopping complex launched on Feb. 22 by Pan Pacific International Holdings, operator of the Don Quijote chain.

The store is a carbon copy of its namesake in Japan, complete with the Don Quijote theme song blaring nonstop, products piled high inunexpected locations, and in-your-face displays.

When news of the outlet broke in 2017, a local newspaper hyped it as a "long-awaited opening."

The buzz surrounding the store has been generated mainly by tourists returning from Japan, which has become a popular destination for Thais and other Southeast Asians. Don Quijote stores in Japan are now a must-go for souvenir shopping thanks to the variety of products, cheap prices and late hours. In particular, the stores stock everyday Japanese items favored by foreign visitors.

Gaudy in-store ads at the Bangkok store mirror those found at Japanese branches of the chain. (Photo by Kosaku Mimura)

At a news conference in Thailand, Koji Ohara, president and CEO of Tokyo-listed parent Pan Pacific International Holdings, said he wanted to make the store Bangkok's "most entertaining" attraction