The Pokémon Cafe in Japan is open for Pikachu business for Pika-You!
Themed cafes in Japan are usually done as “temporary” or “pop up” spaces due to financial and management restraints, so it’s super hard to target a themed cafe of a property you love when you happen to be visiting Japan.
Thankfully, due to the international popularity of Pokémon, the Pokémon Company decided to open permanent Pokemon Cafe locations in Japan this year in Tokyo and Osaka!
WHAT: The Pokémon Cafe features cute themed food and drinks in the shape of your favorite Pokémon! The Cafe features jaw-dropping interior designs inspired by Pokemon, like the Pokéball ceiling, Pokéball bushes, statues of your favorite starter Pokemon, and a changing display of Pokemon figures, games and collectibles in the center area.
You’ll also get to enjoy a performance by Pikachu dressed in a cute chef’s outfit! There isn’t a chance for individual photos with Pikachu, but he will come out and do a dance and pose for photos in each area of the cafe, as well as (gently) shake hands with each guest at the end of his performance.
The Pokémon Cafe also boasts it’s own little gift store with exclusives that are cafe themed, and is connected to a larger Pokémon Center so you can get your fix of Pokémon goods before or after your meal!
WHO: The Pokémon Cafe is geared towards all ages! Children and adults can enjoy a cute meal together and hang out with Pikachu. However, there is no specific children’s menu. All menu items are quite large, so it may be acceptable to order items for your children to share. In Japan, taking leftovers to go is not really a “thing,” so you have to finish all you order or leave it behind, unfortunately!
HOW TO RESERVE: The Pokémon Cafe is fairly new in Japan so reservations for it go very quick! You MUST make a reservation in order to go inside the cafe! Reservations are free of charge, and also in English! You can go to The Pokemon Cafe website to a reservation.
• Please be careful to pick the correct cafe you wish to visit! There is one in Nihonbashi near Tokyo Station, and one in Osaka, near Shinsaibashi Station.
• Next, click on MAKE A RESERVATION and enter how many people are in your party (they use the kanji 名 as a counter, so 1 名 is 1 person, 2 名 is 2 people, etc.). You can book groups up to 8 people and you must include all children in that number.
• Then, you will see a calendar pop up. Click on the day you wish to go! Reservations go up ONE MONTH in advance. So for example, if you want a reservation for July 1st, you wold be wise to go to the website on June 1st to get your pick of dates and times to reserve! If the date you want is grayed out, then unfortunately that means the reservations for that day are all full.
• Click on the TIME you want to visit. The time listed is in 24 hour military time.
• Enter your information. You have 15 minutes to complete this part of the form or your table will be given away.
• Pick your reservation exclusive item. These items are only available if you pre-purchase them online. You cannot get these items by looking in the store. This is optional, and you don’t have to pick anything if nothing catches your eye!
• Once you click Next, your reservation will be complete and you will receive a confirmation email for your reservation! When you visit the cafe, you will need to show this email to confirm your reservation so make sure to screen cap it if you will not have wifi with you! It also says you will need your ID, but they weren’t really asking for it when I went, but better safe than sorry!
• Your confirmation code will look like a bunch of letters and numbers like this: mnKrN4Jmry8e0BAG. If you need to cancel your reservation, simply go back to the reservation page, click the location you made the reservation at, then select “CONFIRM YOUR RESERVATION.” Enter your confirmation code, and then you will be given the option to CANCEL.
HOW TO EAT:
• Line up about 5 minutes before your reservation (see below section on how to reserve). Show your reservation confirmation to the staff at the podium. You will be given a number and then guided to your table.
• Once there, you can order via the iPad! If the staff doesn’t do it for you, make sure to check the bottom left menu of the screen and you can switch the language to English, Chinese, or Korean! Note that some items include the purchase of the plate or cup it comes with, but you are not expected to carry a dirty plate home! When you go to check out, they will hand you new clean ones! Yay!
• At some point, a staff member will come over to play a coaster game with you! They will show you an option of either choosing 1 of the special coasters available that day (in my case it was a Halloween Pikachu coaster), or picking a random card on an iPad that will reveal what Pokémon coaster you will be assigned. These are yours to keep! Unlike other coasters I’ve seen at theme cafes, these ones are clear plastic.
• At some point, Pikachu will come out to do a little dance and pose for photos!
• When all your food has been delivered, the staff will put a small receipt in a cup on your table. When you are finished, you take that paper slip to the front check out desk, and you will pay your bill there. This is also where you can purchase any Pokémon Cafe goods in the display in front of the register, and where you will receive your plates and cups if you ordered any with your meal.
WHERE: TOKYO: Nearby Tokyo station, this place is sort of a nightmare to find. Give yourself an extra 15 – 25 minutes of getting lost before your reservation time, TRUST ME. There are THREE buildings called “Takashimaya,” which are department stores. You can actually head into ANY OF THESE, then take the escalator or elevator to the 5th floor. Once there, you need to make your way across a sky bridge to the “Takashimaya S.C. Building” (髙島屋Ｓ.Ｃ.東館). All three buildings are attached via sky bridge so don’t worry about which building to enter. If in doubt, go to any Takashimaya staff member and say “Pokémon Cafe?” You will not be the first or even 10th person who has asked them that day!
There is ONE street level door of the Takashimaya SC building, but I seriously found it by accident. The building itself looks like a bank or office building on the lower floors, so it threw me off when looking for it. You’re better off just heading to the huge Takashimaya dept store from the station and doing as I advised above!
WHERE: OSAKA:
Head to the enormous Daimaru department store and proceed to the 9th floor! It’s incredibly easy to find! The elevator situation there is a little limited, so allow yourself a few extra minutes to take the escalators up to the 9th floor if you don’t feel like waiting in line for the elevator with all the strollers and people with huge suitcases.
Don’t forget, each Pokémon Cafe is attached to a Pokémon DX center, complete with a huge store with exclusive products! In the Osaka Pokémon DX center, there were even some special Osaka-specific plush. Check the gallery above for photos of the center! You do not need a Cafe reservation to visit the Pokemon stores here.
I hope this guide was useful for anyone wanting to visit the Pokémon Cafe in Tokyo or Osaka!
If you have any questions, or if I missed anything, be sure to ask in the comments!
Chubby Bunny Travels 