If you are fan of Pokemon, you are going to love visiting the Pokemon Center Mega Tokyo in Ikebukuro. It is located about 12 minutes walk from Ikebukuro Station on the second floor of the Sunshine City shopping center. When you enter the shopping complex, there should be enough signs that will help lead you to the Pokemon Center’s entrance, on the escalators and floors.
When you walk in, you can expect to hear Pokemon songs, mostly from the video game soundtracks and the Japanese opening theme songs. Plus, there are plenty of Pokemon statues on display to get photos with. Also, I don’t think this particular Pokemon Center was any bigger than the other Pokemon Centers I have visited, say in Osaka and even in Ginza.
There are always events at the Pokemon Centers. If you know a little Japanese, you can take part in the activities, though, these activities are geared towards kids. You can expect a crowd of kids on the weekend. However, if you are a Pokemon Go player, there is usually a monitor in the store showing a countdown for the next raid. If you successfully take down the raid with other attendees and capture the legendary Pokémon, you are eligible to claim the sticker reward (usually of the legendary that you just caught). Make sure you have a good GPS tracker on your phone, you don’t want to zig zag during this time.
Aside from the awesome activities, there are plenty of merchandise to buy. If you like Pikachu, there is no short supply on the Pikachu plush dolls. Pikachu is usually dressed up in various outfits to commemorate a special occasions, whether it is Xmas, Easter, Halloween or another special event. I spend hours pouring over what to buy. Always look out for the limited edition things. I find that certain things like New Era caps with Pokemon on them are hard to come by, so if you see it, get it.
You can purchase clothes, stationary, video games, snacks, the trading card game and a whole host of other things. The store is breaming with Pokemon stuff. You are either bound to find something for yourself or for your friends and family back home.
If you buy enough things, you will be given a prize on purchase. Also, you can claim tax free in certain cities around Japan. I always had issues when in the Tokyo stores, but no issues at other cities like Fukuoka, Osaka and Nagoya.
If you want to get an idea of what the Pokemon Center looks like from within, check out my video below.
The Mega Pokemon Center is located within the Sunshine City shopping complex at Japan, 〒170-6002 Tokyo, Toshima City, Higashiikebukuro, 3 Chome−1−2 サンシャインシティ 専門店街アルパ2F:
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