Thursday, 22 November 2007

New Pokemon Center Tokyo

A few weeks ago I went to the new Tokyo Pokemon Center that had moved from it's original location near Tokyo Station (which I had been to heaps in my four years in Japan) to a brand new, very convenient location of right across the road from Hamamatsucho station on the JR Yamonote Line!

On my way there I remembered thinking I had heard of the station name before but couldn't remember where but then it occurred to me! It's the same place you go to to board those big party boats that I had gone on the last two years!

Naturally though I ended walking up in the wrong direction for about ten minutes before asking a policeman for directions who happened to have been given official Pokemon maps by Nintendo for people looking for the Pokemon Center! Pretty cool! (If you're a Pokemon fan like me anyway).

Once I found it (literally across the road from the station) I was really impressed! So much effort (and money) had obviously been put into this new location! It reminded me of going to Disney Sea where even the smallest object has been fitted with the most minute details.

Pokeball (or "monster balls" as they call them in Japanese) designs were everywhere and new life size models (for the smaller Pokemon anyway) were scattered throughout the place.

As usual there were literally hundreds of stuffed toys, stickers, stationary, dvds, cds, Nintendo DS', Nintendo Wiis etc to buy. I grabbed myself some new Pokemon stationary and two money banks that are in the shape of a regular red and white Pokeball and a purple and white "Masterball". The stationary is particularly impressive. They always choose some really good artwork for the envelopes and letters that even though it's featuring Pokemon characters it surprisingly looks very cool and visually appealing.

Luckily there was also a "Pokemon Event" going on which I didn't know about. Occasionally they offer exclusive Pokemon with unique abilities to wirelessly download onto your Nintedo DS Pokemon game. I grabbed my free Pokemon but I doubt I'll ever use it except for bragging to my 8 year old students that I have him.

What I found particularly cool was a real life "Union Room" just outside the main Pokemon Center that looks just like the one in the Pokemon games, right down to the glowing circles on the floor. In the games the Union Room is a room you go to to connect to other people who are playing the game nearby and battle, trade or chat. The fact that they've made a real one is pretty cool as it's like you're actually doing what you do in the game.

Unfortunately the amount of middle aged women (probably mothers of the kids) filling up the place and sleeping on the couches around the walls partially ruined the illusion but the whole idea was a nice touch.

I think I've said previously that I was going to do a kind of "Pokemon Journey" just like the main character in the anime and game where I was going to travel around Japan and visit all the Pokemon Centers. Unfortunately I haven't gotten around to it yet but I'm determined now to do it next year (visit all of them) but in individual weekend trips!

To add to the "just like in the anime" feel I'm going to buy the special location specific badges that they sell at each Pokemon Center! I bought myself the Pokemon Center Tokyo badge during this last trip and will try and get one at each new location I go to (as well as some Starbucks mugs of course).

First up I think will be a revisit to the Tokyo Pokemon Center for some Christmas shopping and then the Pokemon Center in Yokohama which is really only about 30 minutes away by train but I still haven't been there yet (it opened about two years ago I think).

After that, maybe Nagoya because a good friend of mine just moved down there so I can hit two birds with one stone! Then the Pokemon Center in Sendai because I've always wanted to go there. Might go in February when they have that star festival. (Edit: Looks like that one must have closed! Can't find any info on it now!)

After that would be Osaka and then Fukuoka.

I also hear they have one in New York in the States but that might be a while off. :D

I've created two separate "labels" or "tags" for my posts on this blog to follow this plan. The first is Pokemon Journey which will feature posts that I make exclusively about this plan to visit all the Centers. The second is simply "Pokemon" which will cover the same posts as "Pokemon Journey" but will also feature any general posts about Pokemon such as when I see the movies, play the game or any other misc Pokemon info I feel like posting about.

Anyway, wish me luck on my Pokemon Journey! It should be a fun way to see the country and I recommend finding a theme yourself for travelling. It makes it all the more interesting!

Gotta Catch 'em All!

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Labels: Pokemon, Pokemon Journey

posted by Brad at 11:30 AM 5 Comments Links to this post

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