What was the first Pokémon Center store’s location when it opened in 1998?

The first Pokémon Center store opened in Nihonbashi, Tokyo, on July 18, 1998.

Pokémon Centers are specialty retail stores devoted to Pokémon merchandise. Their name comes from the healing facilities in the video games, where Trainers can restore their Pokémon. Real-world stores sell plush toys, figures, clothing, stationery, game accessories, and other franchise products.

The original Tokyo location was part of the franchise’s rapid expansion after the success of the games, anime, and trading cards. Pokémon Center Co. Ltd. was established in April 1998 by Nintendo, Creatures, and Game Freak to manage the specialized retail business.

The first store is sometimes confused with the later New York Pokémon Center. That American store opened at Rockefeller Center in 2001 and closed in 2005, later becoming part of the Nintendo World Store and eventually Nintendo New York. Pokémon Centers subsequently expanded throughout Japan and into other countries.