When did the first real-world Pokémon Center store open in Tokyo?

The first real-world Pokémon Center store opened in Tokyo in April 1998.

Pokémon Centers are specialty retail stores named after the healing locations in the Pokémon games. The stores sell official merchandise such as plush toys, figures, clothing, stationery and trading-card products, turning an in-game location into a physical fan destination.

The original Tokyo store eventually closed and reopened in another location, while the chain expanded across Japan. A Pokémon Center later opened in Osaka in 2001, and the concept eventually reached markets outside Japan through stores and online retail.

This retail chain is separate from the fictional Pokémon Centers seen in the games and anime. In those stories, Pokémon Centers restore a team after battles; the real stores are merchandise shops, although their branding deliberately uses the same familiar imagery.