The Five Yen of Happiness! Pokemon Centre – Gotta catch them all!

The Five Yen of Happiness! Pokemon Centre – Gotta catch them all!

• I give in – I need a break (Introduction)
• To Heathrow and The BA Galleries North Lounge
• BA902 London Heathrow to Frankfurt Airport in Club Europe
• Bumbling around Frankfurt Airport with random #AVGeek spotting
• Meeting the A350 and the Air Canada Lounge
• Qatar Airways QR068 Frankfurt to Doha
• The joy of Hamad International Airport, and The Oryx Rotana Hotel
• Qatar Airways Flight QR812 Doha to Tokyo Haneda
• The Hotel JAL City Haneda Tokyo
• Shikansen Adventures to Hiroshima!
• Time in Hiroshima (featuring the ANA Crowne Plaza Hiroshima)
• Hirosihima – 70 years on
• A day trip to Itsukushima
• More Shinkansen fun to Kyoto (Featuring Kyoto Tower Hotel)
• A trip up to Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine
• Dinner with The real_jetsetr!
• The JR Central SC Maglev and Rail Museum
• Shinkansen to Tokyo
• The Strings by InterContinental
• Cheap evening – From the Tokyo Metropolitan Building
• The JR East Railway Museum, Saitama
• Shibuya nights
• Akihabara Days
• Gotta Catch them All! A few Pokemon Centres.
• Off to Narita
• Nartia Airport, The JAL Lounge
• Qatar Airways Flight QR807 Tokyo Narita to Doha
• Four and Half Hours in Doha Airport
• Qatar Airways Flight QR067 Doha to Frankfurt
• More time in Frankfurt
• BA8735 Frankfurt to London City Airport (Club Europe)
• Homeward
• Memories
• And about that Five Yen Coin – The Sensoji Temple, Asakusa

As some of you might know, I enjoy Pokemon. So much so, I went to Paris for a day to visit the Paris pop-up Pokemon Centre.

Yes, I am nearly 40. Yes I enjoy Pokemon.

Stop laughing down the back.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojQA-ecBUJg

Anyway, Japan is the home of real Pokemon Centres, and since I was near a few of them during my visits – it would had been rude of me not to visit.

Hiroshima Pokemon Centre

(inside Sogo Hiroshima – Kamiyachohigashi Station).

The newest of the Pokemon Centres, this one has Pikachu and a Shiny Garados as its mascot:
Pikachu and a Shiny Garados (Garados evolves from Magickarp… and the local baseball team).

And as this Pokemon store was a new opening – there were special cosplaying Pikachus. Today, Pikachu is cosplaying as Magickarp, Garados and Shiny Garados. Because that’s what Pikachu does. It cosplays and extracts as much cash out of me as possible. 

Big Dennene’s, Pikachus, Kanto starters, and a load of others… 

All sorts of Pikachus!

A mixture of Kalos region Pokemon…

Big Hoenn and Kalos Region starters – along with Shiny Metagross

Legendary Pokemon – Groudon and Xerneas

Pikachu of course is a major pull, and you can get lots of Pikachu related items

I will not tell a lie… I was tempted by a Pikachu phone case. But I didn’t get one… least of all I’ve spent £35 on a leather Apple iPhone case after I smashed the screen last time.

And all the Evee and its Eveeloutions.

As well as plushie and gift products, there’s also Pokemon food stuffs.

Yes. Pikachu ramen. I may have a couple of these.

Cookies? Check.

Hand towels for the hot summer days? Check.

Of course, this is but one Pokemon Centre. Lets head to Nagoya!

Nagoya Pokemon Centre

Location: Matsuzakaya Main Building 5F

Again, another department store, with another centre. This one is a pretty ordinary centre with all the usual merchandise.

Sometimes, different centres have different editions or different collectables depending on your luck

This centre’s mascots are Pikachu as well as Chikorita (one of the Johto starters). I was tempted by the massive Pikachu. Thankfully… or not… I doubt I would had got it home without checking it as excess luggage.

Mega Evolved Pokemon!… and Hoopa (Star of the latest Pokemon film)

As well as Pokemon, there are also T-shirts and such…

And I’m still tempted by the cases…

As well as Pokemon Tretta machines. No, I don’t get them either.

Of course, the biggest Pokemon Centre is in Tokyo.

Pokemon Centre Mega Tokyo

Location: Sunshine City alpa 2F, Nearest JR station: Ikebukuro

The replacement for the old Pokemon Centre near Hamamatsucho, this is a vastly expanded facility to cater to the Pokemon fans around the world. Well, there were as many non-Japanese fans there as locals.

Lets go inside!

Waiting for us inside is Pikachu and Charizard  (there’s another one inside).

As this is a Mega store – all the displays contain Mega Evolved Pokemon

Mega Lucario and Mega MewTwo Y

And of course – Mega Charizard X. Always the bad-ass of Pokemon XY.

There are of course plushies…

Pikachu is cosplaying. Again. As Mga Charizard this time.

Exclusive goodies.

As well as all the soft plushies, you can get other souvenirs.

Penny Press machines. Yours for a mere ¥200 a pop.

Pikachu Cookies? Check.

Even the checkouts are themed with starters….

Now as well as the bigger Pokemon Centres, there are Pokemon stores. These are more focused stores at  locations – and also carry exclusive stock.

The Pokemon Store at Tokyo Station for example deals in Station Master Pikachus.

Whilst at Narita Airport, there’s also a Pokemon Centre in Terminal 2 for those who want their last chance at Pokemon stuff (And I wish I did – I checked my luggage in before I visited the Pokemon Store).

Captain Pikachu welcomes you!

And yes. Captain Pikachu is welcoming you.

The speciality Pokemon on offer at this store  – Captian Pikachu and Air Hostess Pikachu. Air Hostess Pikachu came with me on my journey home.

See? Pokemon can be educational. Honest.

Overall: I found these fun places to go, and as I have an interest in Pokemon. If you have kids who watch the cartoon – or if you are still watching the cartoons, playing the game or playing the card game, you will enjoy for what they are.

Just bring a wallet full of yen with you… as you will be spending money on plushies, cards, memorabilia or otherwise.

And extra luggage if you’re going to bring back one of those massive Pikachus. Seriously. They’re massive.

NEXT: It’s time to say goodbye to Japan as I take the Narita Express to Narita Airport.

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