Pokémon Center

For the facilities in the Pokémon anime and games, see Pokémon (video game series) § Gameplay.
Pokémon Center in Sendai
Pokémon Center in Singapore

The Pokémon Center is a chain of specialty stores selling Pokémon-related merchandise. Pokémon Centers are predominantly located in Japan, the first having opened in Tokyo in 1998. Stores have also opened in Singapore, the United States, and Taiwan. As of 2026, there are 25 active stores with two located outside Japan.[1]

Within the Pokémon universe, "Pokémon Centers" are locations where characters can heal, manage, and trade their Pokémon creatures.[2] Real Pokémon Centers, named after the fictional counterparts, sell merchandise such as action figures, plush toys, cereal boxes, clothing, backpacks, and badges.[3]

History

The Pokémon Company opened the first Pokémon Center store in Tokyo in April 1998. This original Pokémon Center eventually closed and reopened in a different location.[2] Pokémon Center Osaka, one of the franchise' bigger locations at 830 square meters, was the country's seventh Pokémon Center and opened in 2010.[4]

On November 16, 2001, Nintendo opened a store called the Pokémon Center in Rockefeller Center, New York City. The Pokémon Center was closed and replaced by the Nintendo World Store in 2005.[5] This store was renovated and rebranded to Nintendo New York in 2016.[6][7]

Only one Pokémon Center out of 15, along with three smaller locations, remained open at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan, and the location in Okayama closed permanently.[8] There are over 20 Pokémon Center locations in Japan as of 2023.[9]

On December 8, 2023, the second permanent Pokémon Center outside of Japan opened in Taipei at the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi department store near Taipei 101.[10] The Pokémon Company International launched an online Pokémon Center store in 2014.[2]

2026 incident

On March 26, 2026, a sales clerk at the Pokémon Center in Ikebukuro, Tokyo was stabbed to death. Her assailant, a former boyfriend, committed suicide shortly thereafter.[11][12] Other Pokémon Centers canceled most events in April and May following the attack.[11]

Locations

As of 2026, there are 23 Pokémon locations in Japan, including five labelled "Pokémon Store". They include ten locations in the Greater Tokyo Area.[1]

Outside Japan

Former stores

References

  1. ^ a b "SHOP LIST". The Pokémon Company. Retrieved May 5, 2026.
  2. ^ a b c Sarkar, Samit (July 2, 2014). "Pokémon Center online store opening Aug. 6 in US, soft launch today". Polygon. Archived from the original on June 26, 2015. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  3. ^ Phillips, Tom (September 17, 2014). "A look inside Tokyo's Pokémon Center". Eurogamer.
  4. ^ Loo, Egan (October 23, 2010). "Japan's Largest Pokémon Shop to Open in Osaka". Anime News Network.
  5. ^ Sarrazin, Marc-André (April 21, 2005). "Nintendo World Store Opening Party — Nintendo Spin". NintendoSpin.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2009.
  6. ^ Naudus, Kris (February 19, 2016). "Nintendo's flagship store reopens with a new name and new look". Engadget.
  7. ^ Passalacqua, Micheal (January 7, 2016). "Nintendo World Store Getting Big Renovation". IGN. Archived from the original on October 11, 2023. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  8. ^ Imada, Kaila (August 27, 2021). "Pokémon Centers and Stores in Japan are closing indefinitely due to Covid-19". TimeOut.
  9. ^ "OFFICIALSHOP LIST English｜ポケットモンスターオフィシャルサイト". Pokémon. Archived from the original on September 2, 2023. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  10. ^ "opening of Pokemon center Taipei". Pokémon Taiwan (in Chinese). Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  11. ^ a b Hodgkins, Crystalyn (April 5, 2026). "All Pokémon Centers in Japan Cancel Most Events in April". Anime News Network. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
  12. ^ "Pokemon shop employee killed in Tokyo knife attack". Reuters. March 26, 2026. Retrieved March 26, 2026.
  13. ^ "First Pokemon Centre in Asia outside Japan opens doors as part of Singapore's Jewel Changi Airport preview". The Straits Times. April 12, 2019. Retrieved May 5, 2026.
  14. ^ "台北首間寶可夢中心盛大開幕三星傳媒". tristarnews.com.tw (in Chinese (Taiwan)). December 8, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2026.
  15. ^ Sinthopnumchai, Puriward (May 5, 2026). "Pokemon Center to open first Thai store at CentralWorld". Bangkok Post. Retrieved May 5, 2026.
  16. ^ Frank, Allegra (January 6, 2016). "Nintendo World getting its first makeover in a decade". Polygon.com. Retrieved May 5, 2026.
  • Wikimedia Commons logo Media related to Pokémon Centers at Wikimedia Commons
  • Official website

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