Which city hosted Japan’s first Pokémon Center store?

Japan’s first Pokémon Center store opened in Nihonbashi, Tokyo.

The store opened on July 18, 1998, as a specialized retail location for Pokémon merchandise. It was managed by Pokémon Center Co., Ltd., the company that preceded The Pokémon Company under its current name.

Pokémon Center stores became destinations for games, plush toys, cards, apparel, stationery, and limited-edition goods. Their branding helped turn Pokémon from a video-game property into a broad character and merchandise franchise during the late-1990s boom.

Nihonbashi is a district of Tokyo, not a separate city. That distinction matters because answers such as “Tokyo” identify the metropolitan setting but are less specific than the original location. The first Pokémon Center in the United States later opened in New York City in 2001, but it was not the first store overall.