The next two Pokémon stores on my list were big ones. 

Known virally online for its “Aura Farming Mewtwo,” I decided on the Shibuya location for my next stop on my Pokémon journey. Visiting Shibuya, even with the intention of having just one store in mind, is a quest that usually requires a good portion of time.

A maze of lights, noise, shops, attractions are blinding and endless. The main streets of this shopping area can be daunting even to a seasoned traveller. I recommend really familiarizing yourself with the maps and landmarks of the area and what you’re looking for because even GPS signals get lost in the jungle of steel towers and glass windows.

The Pokémon Center Shibuya was a challenge for me to find. The store was located in a large mall disguised in an elegant skyscraper. After a few confused laps around it and skepticalness to try the small elevator that didn’t have the Pokémon Center on the list of stores it arrived at, I was finally able to find a few escalators that took me up two floors and around one and perhaps down another before I found myself at inside of the crowded mall filled to capacity with shops and shoppers alike.

Gently I made my way towards escalators that carried me to the upper floors, doing my best to flow with the large crowds that seemed to move like schools of fish through the halls. I passed the One Piece and Godzilla stores, both swarming with guests. A few more shop fronts later and  I peeked over the crowds to see what I had come for in front of me, glowing and powerful looking, the infamous Mewtwo. It was a sight to behold as a Pokémon fan, like a movie scene come to life. 

The walls of the Center were decorated in Graffiti style art of Pokémon and it was filled to the brim with visitors. There was a very large selection of merchandise. I was able to find a Soda Pop plush I had been eyeing for awhile, along with a super cute Pyukumuku shower exfoliator plush. This store was probably the most overwhelming out of all of the locations I visited. It was very difficult to move around the large crowds and it seemed like a ⅓ of the store was devoted to just the line for the registers despite the fact that it seemed as if they had most of the same merchandise as the other locations I had been to so far, though the staff did a great job at making sure everyone was moved through as fast they could get them and knew where they should be waiting. They even had one team member holding a sign indicating the beginning of the long line for check out that had snaked around the perimeter of the shopping section and overflowed into the entrance area of the store.   

The next location on the list was the Sky Tree. I regret not giving myself more time to explore this amazing attraction but I didn’t have much time before leaving Tokyo on another adventure and I wanted to squeeze in another store before I had to leave for a bit. 

The Skytree was a bit of a complicated train route from where I had been staying and I found myself on one of the trains that turn from local to express if you stay on it too long by accident. It was a little bit annoying but the ride through the neighborhoods of Tokyo can honestly be a beautiful trip, so, though pressed a bit for time, I didn’t mind too much ending up on the scenic route to the Skytree. 

After getting off in the station at the bottom of the tower, I made my way outside to take a walk around, get a good view of the Skytree from below and join in with the other visitors taking photos and videos with it standing proudly behind us. 

This Pokémon Center is on the fourth floor. The way inside and upstairs was well marked and clear and it was easy to find my way from the entrance to the correct escalators. They were slender and elegant, bringing you up the center of the mall and past many floors dedicated to clothing and souvenirs, as well as many sweet shops and stores dedicated specifically to souvenirs to bring home to family, friends and coworkers after travels, a Japanese tradition called Omiyage. This Center was definitely less crowded than the other locations I had visited so far and offered an exclusive Skytree Pikachu plushes. Their selection of merchandise wasn’t the largest I had seen among the stores but their selection of cards was pretty good and the staff was exceptionally friendly, asking where I had travelled from and how I liked Japan so far. It was a great pit stop to top off the giant stack of cards I had saved up to entertain me during my upcoming Shikansen ride and to get just a tiny bit more Pokémon time in while I had the chance.   

Stay tuned to hear about two more Pokémon stores I visited in Tokyo!