Pokemon Center Okinawa, Home of the Arcanine

Did you know that Growlithe was designated as the official ambassadorial Pokémon for Okinawa?

Due to it’s resemblance to the legendary shisa, it was thought to be the perfect Pokémon to promote the region and I couldn’t agree more! So what does that mean? It means you can come across a variety of Growlithe and Arcanine themed buses, manhole covers aka “Poké Lids” and a variety of souvenirs exclusive to Okinawa. It also means Okinawa has its very own Pokémon Center complete with exclusive regional merch!

Not the Biggest Pokemon Center, but Still Filled to the Brim

The first thing you’ll see when you arrive at Okinawa’s Pokemon Center is the statue of Pikachu riding a massive Arcanine. But just outside the store is also the massive life-sized Alolan Exeggutor which towers over visitors entering the shop.

The center itself is not very big, but they have Pokémon Card Stations where gamers can play the Pokémon Trading Card Game and a huge touchscreen “Pokédex” where you can look to see if they have your favorite Pokémon plushie in store. Judging by the selection I saw, you’d be pretty hard pressed not to find at least one of your favorites. Personally I’m a ghost type girl and they had this huge, incredibly soft Litwick that was everything I could hope for, but sadly just a bit to big to come home with me this time around.

I was really surprised by their large selection of kitchen wear. From cups and teapots to plates and pans, Pokémon is definitely creating collections with their older fans in mind and I’m here for it. If it were up to me, I would completely redecorate my kitchen with a Pokémon theme, but alas this level of cuteness does not come cheap.

The center also carries a lot of merch that’s exclusive to Japan like this Matcha Langue de Chat cookie tin and the Paradise Dragona booster box that I got. They also had some super cute Eisa Drummer and Ryumai kimono Pikachu plushies, but for me, the real must have item was a plushie of Pikachu riding an Arcanine that you can only get at Pokémon Center Okinawa. It was just too majestic to pass up!

Where is Pokemon Center Okinawa?

Pokémon Center Okinawa is located on the first floor of AEON MALL guarded by a massive Alolan Exeggutor. For me it was about 45min away by bus, but definitely worth the trip. I went at opening right before heading back to the airport, but if you have the time, there are plenty of shops, cafes and restaurants to check out in the mall. So if you’re a Pokémon fan, be sure to stop by!