You just cannot visit Tokyo without being amazing by the Japanese love for gaming. So did my wife and I when we visited a couple of the gaming merchandise stores in the city. This Pictured Story takes you to the Shibuya Parco shopping mall, which hosts the adjacent stores Nintendo Tokyo and Pokemon Center Shibuya. Have fun with Mario and Pikachu!
Shibuya Parco – Location & Transport
Shibuya Parco is a ten floor (plus one basement level) shopping mall in Shibuya. Each floor is dedicated to a certain topic. However, the lower five floors above the ground are all somehow linked to fashion. The sixth floor is named Cyberspace Shibuya. Apart from Nintendo Tokyo and Pokemon Center Shibuya, it also hosts other interesting places if you like gaming, e.g. Capcom Store or a cafe with rotating anime and cartoon topics. The mall is located in the Udagawacho district of Shibuya
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The easiest way to get to Shibuya Parco is to head North from Shibuya Station / Sibuya Crossing. This place is served by several rail and metro services. You do get closer by bus, but the area is picturesque and interesting and almost demands for a walk. Daily opening times of the two Nintendo stores are 10:00 to 21:00, daily.
I first take you to Nintendo Tokyo. Even though this was the significantly more relaxed place during our visit, it may still be quite packed. There are several statues with key Nintendo characters and other entertainment in the store, which make people stop by and upgrade their Instagram stories. The range of items is huge. You might expect a lot of plush, but there are also socks (often too small for Europeans) and even household items. During our visit, you could even buy a Pikmin costume.
If you visited Nintendo Tokyo and already had the feeling that this place is crowded, you might think about avoiding Pokemon Center Shibuya. Pikachu, Eevee and all the others still attract masses. The design of the shop is posh, even though it feels a bit smaller. From pokeballs with gems to cards, plush and much more merchandise – I am sure you will find exactly what you are looking for. A very popular place was the Pokemon Design Lab, where you could design your own t-shirt (and print it later). Of course, there are also bunches of trading cards and the necessary accessory. Especially on the plush side, these stores typically feature plush toys which are exclusive to that store only. As they are absolutely fair priced, they might be a good option to calm down jealous Pokemon fans who stayed at home.
