Pokémon Center HIROSHIMA – The Video Game Comes to Life

If Pokémon Were Real

Fuecoco, Sprigatito and Quaxly are just a few of the Pokémon statues that you can find throughout Hiroshima Station and not just the Pokémon Center. (Joy Photo / Michael Farrell)

Step into the Pokémon media franchise at Pokémon Center HIROSHIMA, a real-life representation of the Pokémon Centers found in the video game series. Players of the games know that almost every town on the map has a Pokémon Center where you can heal your Pokémon, buy goods and connect with other players. The Pokémon Centers in Japan and abroad transport that experience to the real world, helping visitors step into the world of Pokémon as if it were real.

Pokémon Goods Central

Located on the second floor of Hiroshima Station’s Ekimae shopping area, Pokémon Center HIROSHIMA has a wide range of Pokémon goods. Explore aisles of plushies and apparel, video and card games, stationery and books, jewelry and more.

Seasonal and Cultural Pokémon Goods

Depending on the time of year, you’ll also find various products themed around the seasons, Hiroshima culture and the latest Pokémon games. For example, Halloween-themed plushies are common in autumn and Christmas-themed items can be found in December. Moreover, since regions of Hiroshima Prefecture are notable for okonomiyaki, lemons, rice scoops and maple leaves, you can find Pokémon goods with these and other Hiroshima themes. At the time of this writing, you could buy Pikachu plushies holding lemon slices; shamoji (rice scoops) emblazoned with Pikachu and maple leaves; and okonomiyaki hera (tiny spatulas) with the same design. Also when this was written, Pokémon Legends: Z-A was the newest series in the game franchise. As a result, you could find Pokémon Legends goods in stock along with fun promotional posters and displays around the store.

Pokémon with Hiroshima Pride

Hiroshima’s unique culture is everywhere to see. A hanging display of pint-sized Pikachu plushies hug Hiroshima’s signature sweet, the momiji manju — a maple-leaf-shaped pastry traditionally stuffed with anko paste. 

One Pikachu statue in the store sports a red hoodie emblazoned with maple leaves, a nod to Miyajima’s association with autumn. It holds a small Koi-no-bori pole with Shiny Gyarados and Magikarp windsocks flying instead of the usual family of Japanese koi. Shiny Gyarados is Pokémon Center HIROSHIMA’s mascot, a nod to the city’s red-jerseyed pro-baseball team, the Hiroshima Toyo Carp.

Nearby, Pokémon goods also support Hiroshima’s professional soccer team, Sanfrecce, as part of a licensed crossover that started in August 2025. Sanfrecce’s purple towel-scarves, jerseys, mugs and more are emblazoned with their coat of arms as seen through the Pokémon Universe. An Ursaring and an Urasaluna support the emblem on either side while Pikachu and Teddiursa pop out of the corners of the shield. 

Pokémon and Sanfrecce Hiroshima licensed crossover goods feature Teddiursa, Ursaring and Pikachu with the phrase: “Warning. Ringuma used scary face.” (Joy Photo / Michael Farrell)

Connecting Players

In keeping with the classic, in-game Pokémon Centers’ role of connecting players to battle and trade, Pokémon Center HIROSHIMA also has an area reserved for Pokémon Trading Card Game matches. And they host promotional events throughout the year in the store and on the station grounds.

Pokémon Inside and Out

The immersive theme continues outside the Pokémon Center too. Just around the corner from the Shinkansen gate, while on your way to the Pokémon Center, a life-sized Munchlax sits on a bench eating momiji manju. On the first floor, near the bus stop, there is an astroturf play area for very small children to enjoy while their parents take a break. Nearby a Bulbasaur sits between seats made of giant leaves. On the roof, kids of all ages can slide down a plexiglass “Hydro Pump” water jet out of Gyarados’ mouth. A few hops away, kids climb up leaves with Bulbasaur and go down another slide with Mantine, Luvdisk, and Psyduck. 

Check Your Pokénav, Where is Pokémon Center HIROSHIMA?

Pokémon Center HIROSHIMA is easy to find in Hiroshima Station. Turn left as you leave the Shinkansen exit and walk towards the end of the second floor’s covered gallery. The Pokémon Center’s main entrance is on the left, overlooking the bus stops and taxi stands below.

Pokémon Center Hiroshima is easily accessible from Hiroshima Station’s Shinkansen Exit on the north side of the station. (Joy Photo / Michael Farrell)

Grab More Anime Merch in Hiroshima

Hit these three stops on your way to Peace Memorial Park, to complete your anime and pop-culture shopping.  Before leaving Hiroshima Station, stop at JUMP SHOP Hiroshima in the Minamoa shopping mall on the south side of the station. JUMP SHOP is the official goods store for Shonen Jump, the publisher of titles like One Piece and Dragon Ball. Next, get on the Hiroden tram and get off at Hatchobori Station to explore thousands of stickers at B-SIDE LABEL Hiroshima. The Hondori shop has the largest collection of the brand’s designs out of any branch in Japan. In addition to 7,000 original designs, they have hundreds more depicting characters from popular anime franchises like Demon Hunter and My Hero Academia. Walk west down Hondori towards Peace Park and try your luck at Gatcha Kingdom Hiroshima Store. It has over 150 different gatchapon vending machines with zany and fun themes from the spectrum of Japanese culture.