Pokémon Centers and Pokémon Card Stations in Japan
Pokémon Centers are The Pokémon Company's own stores. They sell plush, stationery and other goods, and they also carry Pokémon Card Game products: booster packs, decks, sleeves, deck boxes and items you will not find elsewhere. There are 18 on the official store list, from Sapporo to Okinawa.
Pokémon Card Stations
Four Pokémon Centers carry the name Pokémon Card Station: Mega Tokyo (Ikebukuro), Tokyo-Bay (Funabashi, Chiba), Nagoya and Osaka (Umeda). These locations have more space for the card game, including a play area used for events. If cards are your main reason to visit, start with one of these.
What you can buy
- Supplies. Deck shields (sleeves), deck cases, playmats and binders with Pokémon Center designs are usually easy to buy, and many are only sold at Pokémon Centers.
- Store-specific items. Some products are tied to one location, such as the special boxes for Pokémon Center Fukuoka, Hiroshima and Tohoku that came with a local Pikachu promo card.
- New booster packs and boxes. These are usually sold by lottery through Pokémon Center Online, or in store with purchase limits. Lotteries need a Pokémon Center Online account, and accounts verified with a Japanese My Number card are now given priority, so winning is hard for visitors. Do not plan your trip around buying a new box at a Pokémon Center.
Tips
- Go early on weekdays. Weekends and the days around a new release are crowded, and some stores use numbered tickets to control entry.
- Card sales rules change from release to release. Staff will explain them; signs often say お一人様1点まで (one per person).
- For specific cards from a new set, check the single-card shops nearby. Most Pokémon Centers sit in busy shopping areas with card shops close by.
- Many Pokémon Centers are in department stores and malls that offer tax-free shopping. See tax-free shopping.
Last updated 2026-10-06.
