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Japan's Largest Pokémon Shop to Open in Osaka

The new Pokémon Center Osaka, the largest Pokémon shop in Japan, will open on November 26. The shop will take up about 830 square meters (about 8,900 square feet), or roughly the area of two basketball courts, of the 13th floor at the remodeled Daimaru Umeda department store. The store will carry over 2,500 kinds of Pokémon goods — including exclusive ones to commemorate the opening. There will also be a "union room" where Pokémon fans can meet, and Pokémon card game tournaments and other events are planned.

One of Japan's six Pokémon Centers is already located in Osaka's Umeda area in a building near the Daimaru Umeda complex. However, the Osaka branch will move to its new, larger quarters next month. (There will also be areas devoted to Takara Tomy's Tomica miniature car lineup and the UNIQLO fashion brand on the same floor as the Pokémon Center.) To celebrate its new location, the Pokémon Center Osaka logo has been redesigned with the addition of Pokabu, one of the Pokémon creatures in the new Pokémon: Black and White game series.

The Pokémon Pikachu, Tsutaaja, Pokabu, and Mijumaru (in costumed mascot form) will greet shoppers during the store's opening weekend, and visitors will receive exclusive Pokémon jumbo game cards for a limited time.

Source: Yomiuri Shimbun