The Pokémon Center in Daimaru Umeda is a must-visit for Pokémon fans who happen to be in Osaka, Japan. Pokémon Center Osaka has everything a Pikachu admirer wish to have. Its merchandise ranges from collectible card games and game software to cute stuffed toys and charming trinkets.
Virg and I had made a pact before we left for Japan that we would visit a Rilakkuma Store or café to satisfy my inner child and we would stop over in a Pokémon store to indulge the enthusiast in her. We were able to visit the Rilakkuma Store in Tokyo Station and it was her turn in Osaka to buy something adorable for herself and her loved ones.
We were at the Pokémon Center in Daimaru Umeda (beside Uniqlo) at around 1030am and we stayed there for almost two hours. While Virg pored over the original Pokémon items shelf by shelf, I busied myself taking photos of the goods, observed the kids and kids at heart who filled their carts with the merchandise. In my opinion, the Pokémon items are a little expensive but I think they are worth the price because they seem well-made and super-duper endearing.
When we went back to our hotel and examined the Pokémon items Virg bought, we were surprised to find out that some of them were made from the Philippines! It made me 10% happier. Hehe.
I just want to say that our first hotel in Osaka is five to seven minutes’ walk to Daimaru Umeda. It helped that we were one skip and one hop away from the metro and from a great shopping area in Osaka. Walking was an enjoyable activity because the air was clean and the breeze was cool. We just had to be careful not to crash into one of the hundreds of briskly walking employees.
This entry focuses on the the stuffed toys and card games.
For related entries, please read Pokémon Center Osaka (Osaka, Japan), Part II.
For more cuteness, please read Rilakkuma Store (Tokyo, Japan).
Here are photos taken at Pokémon Center in Daimaru Umeda.
Pokémon Center Osaka Operating Hours:
Monday to Sunday: 10am to 10pm
Pokémon Center Osaka Address:
Daimaru Umeda Shop, 13F, 3Chrome-1-1. Kita-ku, Umeda, Osaka
How to get to Pokémon Center Osaka:
1. It is around five minutes’ walk from the JR Osaka Station Central Checkpoint. Enter the Daimaru Umeda Shop and take the escalator to the 13th floor. Do not get distracted by the many many many enticing clothes on the way up to Pokémon Center. Also, do not go to Uniqlo, their coats are as cute as Pikachu.
2. It is about five minutes’ walk from the 1st underground floor of Western Checkpoint, Osaka-Umeda Station, Hanshin Line.
3. It is around ten minutes’ walk from the 2nd floor of Hankyu Osaka-Umeda Station Central Checkpoint to JR Osaka Station.
4. It is around five minutes’ walk from Exit No. 1, West Umeda Station, Yotsubashi Line.
5. It is around five minutes’ walk from Exit No. 8, Umeda Station, Midosuji Line.
6. It is about ten minutes’ walk from Exit No. 3 East Umeda Station, Tanimachi Line.