Pikachu and pal Rayquaza are getting ready to set up camp at the base of the tallest structure in Japan.
The Tokyo Skytree draws plenty of visitors to its location in the capital’s Sumida Ward, and even if you don’t make the trip up to the observation platform to take in the dizzying view, the tower itself is an impressive sight to see. This summer, though, there’s going to be one more reason to head to the attached Solamachi entertainment complex: the opening of a brand-new Pokémon Center!
To clarify, this is a full-fledged Pokémon Center megastore, not to be confused with the considerably smaller Pokémon Stores, like the one currently found in Tokyo Station. Since Tokyo already has a preexisting Pokémon Center in Ikebukuro, the addition of the Pokémon Center Skytree Town will mark the first time two branches grace the same city.
Each Pokémon Center has its own unique logo and statue, and the Skytree shop’s shows the always-represented Pikachu riding on the back of Legendary Pokémon Rayquaza.
▼ This might seem out of character for the fearsome flying dragon, but be honest: You’d totally let Pikachu ride on your back too if he asked you.
The new location and logo also give designers some new motifs to play with in creating new merchandise exclusive to the Skytree Town branch.
▼ We can’t decide which we’d rather have: A scaled-down Skytree model with the addition of Pikachu ears, or a gigantic kaiju-size Pikachu that’s well over half the height of the 634-meter (2,080-foot) Skytree.
As with any Pokémon Center, there’s certain to be a huge selection of awesome stuff to appeal to both casual and hard-core fans of the series, so don’t forget to bring your Pokémon credit card with you when the shop opens on July 6.
Follow Casey on Twitter as he slowly loses the struggle to resist buying Pikachu stuffed animals.
Source, images: Pokémon official website