A new Pokemon Center opened in Hiroshima this past Friday (June 26th) and as part of the celebration, a special Hiroshima Center themed promotion was released in all Pokemon Centers across Japan on the same day.
Similar to the Mega-Tokyo opening, the Hiroshima grand opening promotion merchandise focused on two Pikachu mascots dressed in Gyarados and Magikarp ponchos, with a special shiny Gyarados poncho version available exclusively at the Hiroshima Center (along with a couple other items).
The two Pikachus were available as normal sized plush…
Smaller sized mascot plush…
And as a metal charm set (currently sold out at the Mega-Tokyo Center)
The two Pikachus were also available as prints on a variety of items, including bags…
Phone cases, and clearfiles.
One of the most popular items from the promotion was this special card box. The box contains: Two premium shiny cards, 1 deck case, 62 card sleeves, 1 long card box, and 5 packs of the brand new Bandit Ring expansion set. Aside from the Bandit Ring cards, everything else can only be obtained through this special box set, which is currently sold out at the Mega-Tokyo Center and will most likely sell out at the other Centers sooner rather than later if they aren’t already gone. Chances are good the box price will only get higher as time passes, so don’t pass up the opportunity to get a box now while you can! (Looking for a box? Check out Hoshiiya.com)
All the Centers are busier than usual this weekend, and I’ll be impressed if the plush manage to survive through the weekend. Hiroshima Center especially is boasting wait times of 2~3 hours during peak time just to get in. The crowds should die down over the next week or so, but if you’re planning on visiting, don’t count on the weekday to help drive people away (Mega Tokyo stayed fairly busy for several weeks!)
