Hi there, my name is Koishi! I’m a big Nintendo fan, so I just had to check out the first-ever Nintendo shop called “Nintendo Tokyo”, which just launched in Japan on November 22nd. I finally got the chance to visit today, so follow me as I take a tour of the store!
This is the main entrance of the Shibuya Parco mall where the shop is located, but visitors heading to the Nintendo Tokyo need to use a special entrance.
This is where people are queuing for Nintendo Tokyo.
The sign at the end of the queue says people need to wait about 2 hours to enter Nintendo Tokyo even though it’s only 9:45am, 15 min before the shop opens. I should also mention, it was a Monday morning!
The popular makeup brand shu uemura just happened to be in the middle of a Pokemon collaboration, so I got to see their original Pikachu artwork on the side of their Parco store while I waited.
Still a long wait ahead, but as we get closer to the doors, we get a close-up view of the store’s first statue, a pixel style Mairo jumping up from a pipe! The staff finally welcomed me in the shop around 11:00am.
By the way, people who arrived around 11:00am were in for a 6-hour wait (that’s insane!)
Finally when I got inside, I was welcomed by the Nintendo logo, a big monitor showing our favorite games, and this giant Mario statue!
Inside the store were a wide range of Nintendo songs, such as the main theme of “Donkey Kong,” “Splatoon,” field music from “Legend of Zelda,” and even “Mario Land” which was very nostalgic!
You can use these big shopping bags at the entrance so there’s no worry about carrying too many items around the shop!
Besides Mario, there were 3 other giant statues: Link, Isabelle with Timmy and Tommy, and a girl Inkling!
Plush dolls, clothing, stationery and smartphone covers… There are so many items that Nintendo fans were dreaming of!
They sell exclusive Nintendo Switch with special colors, along with a variety of other merchandise from Nintendo’s many titles.
You can also play the latest Nintendo games!
I found this particular item very cool because it combines Pokemon and Mario in the graphic!
By the way, Pokemon Center Shibuya (just next to Nintendo Tokyo) has the opposite design: Pokemon characters inside the pixel Mario artwork! That’s also amazing!
I decided what I wanted to buy and went to check out. The staff kindly showed me where I should check out, but the queue here was also very long, and featured additional Nintendo Tokyo items nearby that you could grab for last-minute purchases. These snacks make great souvenirs!
My shopping bag featured this Mario design!
Nintendo Tokyo is a must-visit location for any Nintendo fans visiting Japan! I strongly recommend checking it out if you are planning a trip to Tokyo!
