The new Pokémon Center DX

At the same time as the new Pokémon Café, the new Pokémon Center DX in Tokyo has opened as well. For the opening, there are many special events and limited goodies up for grabs. 

The new Pokémon Center DX is directly connected to the café. When you enter the center, the entrance to the café is on your left. It is located on the 5th floor of a separate building of the Takashimaya department store in Nihonbashi, but can only be entered via the main building. First, you have to go to the 8th floor and then follow the arrows and staff of the Pokémon Center pointing you in the right direction.

Snorlax welcomes you in the entrance area.

The largest Pokémon Center in Japan

The new DX is the largest Pokémon Center in Japan and has a huge selection. Where other centers are cleaning up older merchandise because space has to be created for new collections, there will probably never an issue with space here. 

The center has a very futuristic style. There are video walls with scenes from the games and a huge touch screen wall with a kind of Pokédex where you can look up information about Pokémon. This is also available in English. On weekends and holidays, however, you will probably have to queue up. A waiting area has even been set up especially for the touchscreen.

Pikachu on the touchscreen Pokédex

On the occasion of the opening of the new center, three new Pikachu plushies were released, but apart from the firefighter Pikachu they can be bought in other Pokémon centers, too.

In the first few weeks, visitors of the Pokémon Center DX have many goodies to catch. In March and April, visitors to the center can get three different plastic cards printed with Pokémon motifs, depending on the period of time during which they visit the center.

If you also buy something, you will get this Gentlemen Pikachu promo card for the trading card game and if you buy goods exceeding an amount of 5,000 Yen, you will get a mini fan with Pokémon motive. You can only get these goodies while stocks last.

Digital goodies have also been prepared. In the period from March 14th to April 22nd, you can get a special Snorlax with the attack Sunny Day if you bring along your 3DS with Pokémon Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun or Ultra Moon.

Pikachu Greetings

From March 17th to April 22nd, Pikachu Greetings are also held every weekend at 11 am, 1 pm and 3 pm. Two people dressed as Pikachu come into the entrance area of the center and wave and hop around happily. For good photos, you should be there about 15 minutes earlier to get a good place. Matching the new plushies, of course, these are no simple Pikachus, but Gentleman Pikachu and Hakama Pikachu.

The Takashimaya is also participating

The department store in which the new Pokémon Center was built of course also takes part in the opening ceremonies. In the entrance area, you could find a huge Pikachu monument until March 27th and limited merchandise was being sold. However, as the Takashimaya is rather a department store for luxury brands, prices are not exactly cheap.

Can you find the Pokémon that sneaked in?

They also sold sweets with Pokémon motifs, which were a bit more affordable. I've had some Pikachu macaroons.

A life-size Pikachu statue made of gold was also exhibited from March 14th to March 19th. This one could not be purchased, but smaller versions were for up for sale. The cost was just 432,000 yen. 

A "shiny" Pikachu

Also, the shop windows on the outside of the Takashimaya were populated by many Pikachus for about a week.

The opening of a new Pokémon Center is always a big deal and is celebrated accordingly. But that doesn't mean it's all over in the end of April. In April the 20th-anniversary celebrations of the first Pokémon Center, where events will be held all over Japan, will begin.