Hello buns!
I have been to a few Pokémon centers, and thought I would write about my opinions of each one! I stayed in Tokyo for a few weeks in 2018 and took the time to visit the centers that were open in the central Tokyo area at the time (a new Pokémon center has opened in Shibuya since I last visited Japan). During that trip I discovered that each Pokémon center is somewhat unique to the others. Read on to find out about my love of this franchise and what each individual center is like.
Happy reading!
Keri AKA Ichigo Bunny
xoxo
I've been a fan of Pokémon ever since I had first watched it as a kid. I collected cards, watched as many episodes as I could, planned my dream gym team, acted out battles with my friend and dragged our mums to watch the first movie (THE TEARS MAN, THE TEARS). I had played Pokémon snap, Pokémon stadium and Pokémon blue at a friends, my first console to play Pokémon on was a special addition Pikachu gameboy colour and Gold was my first game to ever own. As an adult, I've got a nice little collection of Pokémon plushies, an Umbreon tattoo, a vulpix tattoo, Pokémon pins and so many little items that I don't know what to do with.
In early 2018 it was announced that a brand new Pokémon center was opening up in Tokyo alongside a permanent cafe in the same are. Having already been to Pokémon Center Skytree Town (located in Asakusa) and planning on going to Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo (located in Sunshine City, Ikebukuro) on my second trip to Japan, I was excited to find this new store.
The first ever pokémon center that I visited was Pokémon Center Skytree Town, back during my trip to Japan with my Mum in October 2017. We visited this when we were on our last leg of our trip and were staying in Asakusa. Unfortunately, we had such limited time in Tokyo that we didn't get to visit Ikebukuro and many of the other wards.
Pokémon Center Skytree is located within the shopping mall that is at the base of Tokyo Skytree, and can be a little difficult to find. You have to go up to the 4th floor, go past the Skytree area and go outside, and find another entrance on the same floor just past the restaurant. I had gotten lost trying to find it, thankfully the staff there are so helpful if you do get lost! One young lad even left the shop to walk us part of the way there, so don't be afraid of asking where to go if you do get lost!
One thing that I really enjoyed about this store is that there was a little Pokémon arcade to the side of the store and that the placement of it didn't interfere with how the store flowed. The Skytree branch mascots are Pikachu and Rayquaza, and the shop has models of Pikachu riding Rayquaza, the Hoenn starters, the sun and moon legendaries and a shiny mega Rayquaza coming through the store ceiling. This branch can seem a little small compared to the others but for me I think it's a great size. It didn't feel as busy as the other stores but that could be down due to the days that I had visited and that new Tokyo DX store had not long opened when I visited the second time.
I love this store, I love the many gachupon tubs on the outskirt of the store and I love the dark little arcade to the side. I think this store is always going to be special to me as it was the very first one that I visited, the only negative thing about this for me is that it is a little out of the way from the main Tokyo Yamanote line. However there is also a Ghibli Store here as well as various other shops that will appeal to fans of anime should you wish to visit this store. There is a station at the base of shopping mall, so it is pretty easy to access.
Pokémon Center Tokyo DX is amazing, there is no doubt about that. The only thing that could makes this Pokémon Center superior to the other ones is that it has the Pokémon Cafe next to it, although in December 2019 Pokémon Sweets opened in Ikebukuro. Pokémon Sweets is similar to the Pokémon Cafe, selling desserts and drinks to take away and is located inside Sunshine City. There is an option to stand inside to consume what you have ordered, but this isn't an option when it is busy. You can read more about it here.
Each store has it's own unique vibe and I personally love each one but if I had to chose one store it would probably be the Skytree store. It holds a special place in my heart as it was the first one I visited, and it will always remind me of my special trip with my Mum. I love that there is a Studio Ghibli store nearby and it's close to Ueno, one of my favourite wards in Tokyo.
Pokémon Center DX is pretty magical though and for those of us who have played the game since the games first came out it will bring out some nostalgic feelings. Is it worth comparing to the other two stores? Yes and no. I think if you visit another store first and then visit this one, yes absolutely. I think that by visiting one of the older stores first and then this one you will fully appreciate the difference in design and how the stores look. I think that if you visit this particular store and then one of the other ones you may feel that the older stores feel a little under whelming, or not as new and flashy.
I have been to a few Pokémon centers, and thought I would write about my opinions of each one! I stayed in Tokyo for a few weeks in 2018 and took the time to visit the centers that were open in the central Tokyo area at the time (a new Pokémon center has opened in Shibuya since I last visited Japan). During that trip I discovered that each Pokémon center is somewhat unique to the others. Read on to find out about my love of this franchise and what each individual center is like.
Happy reading!
Keri AKA Ichigo Bunny
xoxo
Comparing Pokémon Centers
I've been a fan of Pokémon ever since I had first watched it as a kid. I collected cards, watched as many episodes as I could, planned my dream gym team, acted out battles with my friend and dragged our mums to watch the first movie (THE TEARS MAN, THE TEARS). I had played Pokémon snap, Pokémon stadium and Pokémon blue at a friends, my first console to play Pokémon on was a special addition Pikachu gameboy colour and Gold was my first game to ever own. As an adult, I've got a nice little collection of Pokémon plushies, an Umbreon tattoo, a vulpix tattoo, Pokémon pins and so many little items that I don't know what to do with.
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| My beloved plush collection (after downsizing it!) |
In early 2018 it was announced that a brand new Pokémon center was opening up in Tokyo alongside a permanent cafe in the same are. Having already been to Pokémon Center Skytree Town (located in Asakusa) and planning on going to Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo (located in Sunshine City, Ikebukuro) on my second trip to Japan, I was excited to find this new store.
Pokémon Center Skytree
The first ever pokémon center that I visited was Pokémon Center Skytree Town, back during my trip to Japan with my Mum in October 2017. We visited this when we were on our last leg of our trip and were staying in Asakusa. Unfortunately, we had such limited time in Tokyo that we didn't get to visit Ikebukuro and many of the other wards.
Pokémon Center Skytree is located within the shopping mall that is at the base of Tokyo Skytree, and can be a little difficult to find. You have to go up to the 4th floor, go past the Skytree area and go outside, and find another entrance on the same floor just past the restaurant. I had gotten lost trying to find it, thankfully the staff there are so helpful if you do get lost! One young lad even left the shop to walk us part of the way there, so don't be afraid of asking where to go if you do get lost!
One thing that I really enjoyed about this store is that there was a little Pokémon arcade to the side of the store and that the placement of it didn't interfere with how the store flowed. The Skytree branch mascots are Pikachu and Rayquaza, and the shop has models of Pikachu riding Rayquaza, the Hoenn starters, the sun and moon legendaries and a shiny mega Rayquaza coming through the store ceiling. This branch can seem a little small compared to the others but for me I think it's a great size. It didn't feel as busy as the other stores but that could be down due to the days that I had visited and that new Tokyo DX store had not long opened when I visited the second time.
I love this store, I love the many gachupon tubs on the outskirt of the store and I love the dark little arcade to the side. I think this store is always going to be special to me as it was the very first one that I visited, the only negative thing about this for me is that it is a little out of the way from the main Tokyo Yamanote line. However there is also a Ghibli Store here as well as various other shops that will appeal to fans of anime should you wish to visit this store. There is a station at the base of shopping mall, so it is pretty easy to access.
Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo
I visited this store during my second trip to Japan. Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo is located in Sunshine City in Ikebukuro and really easy to find compared to the Skytree Town branch. The Pokémon mascots for this badge are Pikachu and Mega Charizard Y, and in store you can find large models of both of the mega charizard forms as well as Lucario and Mewtwo.
One cool thing about this store is how it is decorated on the outside. Because of where it is located in the mall, you can walk around the outside of the shop and look at the Pokémon that are on the walls in Pokédex number order, and there is a giant Charizard Y face that is just perfect for a picture opportunity! I really loved this feature about this Pokémon Center, it's really fun to walk around and find your favourite Pokémon.
This store is in a wonderful location. I really like Sunshine City, the mall isn't too far from the station and it's easy to access. There are also other shops to visit here including some really cool clothing stores in the lower levels, restaurants and even a theme park! This store is pretty big, hence the 'Mega' in the title and there are some store exclusive items that are sold here and there are gachupons here. The one thing I don't like about this store is the layout - at times I felt kind of trapped in an area when it was busy. That is at times a little frustrating and it made me feel claustrophobic. Other than that, I enjoyed nosing around this store.
One cool thing about this store is how it is decorated on the outside. Because of where it is located in the mall, you can walk around the outside of the shop and look at the Pokémon that are on the walls in Pokédex number order, and there is a giant Charizard Y face that is just perfect for a picture opportunity! I really loved this feature about this Pokémon Center, it's really fun to walk around and find your favourite Pokémon.
This store is in a wonderful location. I really like Sunshine City, the mall isn't too far from the station and it's easy to access. There are also other shops to visit here including some really cool clothing stores in the lower levels, restaurants and even a theme park! This store is pretty big, hence the 'Mega' in the title and there are some store exclusive items that are sold here and there are gachupons here. The one thing I don't like about this store is the layout - at times I felt kind of trapped in an area when it was busy. That is at times a little frustrating and it made me feel claustrophobic. Other than that, I enjoyed nosing around this store.
Pokémon Center Tokyo DX
I visited Pokémon Center Tokyo DX in March 2018, not long after it had first opened and IT. BLEW. MY. FRICKEN. MIND. This store is a 15 minute walk from the station and is on the 4th or 5th floor behind a big shopping hall. When I visited there was nothing on Google Maps so I had really struggled to find it. It managed to find where to go when by chance I spotted a Pokémon arrow on this sign post. Now, thankfully, you can easily find it if you look it up on Google Maps and add it to your saved pins.
The Pokémon mascots for this branch are Mew and Pikachu, and you can spot them hanging out with Snorlax outside of the Pokémon Center. This branch has big Pokémon paintings on the walls, both on the ground floor next to the lift, and on the level where the Pokémon Center and cafe are. I think that they are really cute, they brighten the place up and it must be fun for the kids to see!
The first thing you see when you exit the lift is the giant Snorlax clock and it honestly made me feel like a child. The placement of this is perfect, it really brought back the childhood awe that Pokémon gave me as a kid. In the same room as the Snorlax clock there are all of the Pokémon sprites on the walls, although these are not in colour unlike the ones at the Ikebukoro store. On the walls just before the entrance of the shop, there are videos and photos from the games, from the very first game to the most recent game that was released before the shop opened. The shop itself is bright and vibrant with a lovely layout. I really liked how this shop flows, it only felt a little confusing towards the end but I think a lot of that is on me and the way I navigated the store. There isn't any big statues from what I can remember, but I imagine that this is because of the need to be able to hold more stock as this shop is located next to the Pokémon cafe and a major attraction.
I LOVE this store. I spent so much time admiring the displays outside of the store and took my time nosing around inside the store. I can imagine that it gets crazy busy in here, but the first time I visited it was around 7pm and it was pretty quiet then, so if you're only planning on visiting the store and not dining at the cafe I would recommend that time if you prefer to avoid the busy times.
The first thing you see when you exit the lift is the giant Snorlax clock and it honestly made me feel like a child. The placement of this is perfect, it really brought back the childhood awe that Pokémon gave me as a kid. In the same room as the Snorlax clock there are all of the Pokémon sprites on the walls, although these are not in colour unlike the ones at the Ikebukoro store. On the walls just before the entrance of the shop, there are videos and photos from the games, from the very first game to the most recent game that was released before the shop opened. The shop itself is bright and vibrant with a lovely layout. I really liked how this shop flows, it only felt a little confusing towards the end but I think a lot of that is on me and the way I navigated the store. There isn't any big statues from what I can remember, but I imagine that this is because of the need to be able to hold more stock as this shop is located next to the Pokémon cafe and a major attraction.
I LOVE this store. I spent so much time admiring the displays outside of the store and took my time nosing around inside the store. I can imagine that it gets crazy busy in here, but the first time I visited it was around 7pm and it was pretty quiet then, so if you're only planning on visiting the store and not dining at the cafe I would recommend that time if you prefer to avoid the busy times.
If you would like to visit the Pokémon cafe I have written a review with tips on booking and and you need to know ahead of time here.
So, how does Pokémon Center Tokyo DX compare to the other two? Is it even worth comparing?
Each store has it's own unique vibe and I personally love each one but if I had to chose one store it would probably be the Skytree store. It holds a special place in my heart as it was the first one I visited, and it will always remind me of my special trip with my Mum. I love that there is a Studio Ghibli store nearby and it's close to Ueno, one of my favourite wards in Tokyo.
Pokémon Center DX is pretty magical though and for those of us who have played the game since the games first came out it will bring out some nostalgic feelings. Is it worth comparing to the other two stores? Yes and no. I think if you visit another store first and then visit this one, yes absolutely. I think that by visiting one of the older stores first and then this one you will fully appreciate the difference in design and how the stores look. I think that if you visit this particular store and then one of the other ones you may feel that the older stores feel a little under whelming, or not as new and flashy.
Overall, I think that if you are a major Pokémon fan it's worth making a day of visiting all of the stores and visiting Pokémon Sweets and the Pokémon Cafe. There has now been another Pokémon Center opened in Shibuya giving you a total of 6 shops and 2 food venues to check out in Tokyo, 4 of the centers located within Central Tokyo and 2 in the outer areas. There is a website listing the location of all of the Pokemon Centers apart from the new Shibuya store and Pokémon sweets that you can look at here.
One thing that is worth remembering is that although all of the stores will stock a lot of the same items in each one, each store sells items unique to that one. Will you be visiting any if you go to Japan? Let me know!
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