Episode 1 - A Comprehensive Guide to Pokémon Centers
In the games, the Pokémon Center is where you go to rest your Pokémon friends after a tiring battle — in real life, the Pokémon Center is a chain of retail stores that sell everything related to the series.
Unique to Japan, these stores offer an immersive experience unlike anything else! Not only can you buy exclusive merchandise, but there are also special events and some even have cafes inside them! For any fan of the games, you absolutely must stop by when you’re in Japan.
In this episode, Max breaks down the history of the stores as well as gives some insider tips so you can make the most out of your visit.
There are currently 15 Pokémon Center and 7 Pokémon Store locations across Japan!
To accommodate international visitors, the official Pokémon website has basic information (location maps, hours of operation) for each location available in English, Korean & Chinese.
For more information on the POKÉMON with YOU charity, you can check out their official site (in Japanese only).
The two main sources for Pokémon news are the official website (usually updates on Friday afternoons, JST) and the ポケモンだいすきクラブ (I Love Pokémon Fanclub - usually updates on Thursday afternoons, JST). These websites will have the latest information on new products and events.
If you are visiting a Pokémon Center or Pokémon Store in your birthday month, check out the details of their special "birthday service" beforehand (the webpage is in Japanese only)! If you show the staff (at a designated counter) your passport, you can receive some unique gifts. Also, don't worry if you can't speak Japanese; the staff will understand "Birthday" and will be happy to accommodate you!
More Information From This Episode
The best time to visit a Pokémon Center or store is on weekday mornings (that is not a national holiday). Weekends are by far the busiest time, with the afternoons sometimes having the check-out line wrapping around the entirety of the store! If you go at opening during the week, it is usually quiet enough where you can experience the store at your leisure and take photos. However, a benefit of visiting a location on a weekend is that new items are released and there may also be events & character greetings. So, the best advice is to experience both if you can.
Rica's Japanese Lesson Overview!
日本語の豆知識
第一のポイント：発売日。
発売日 ( はつばいび )
ha tsu ba i bi
Release Date
This is the date when something comes on sale. This often can be found on website listings that showcase new products.
SHOPPINGU BAGGU GA KAITAIN DESU GA
第二のポイント：「ショッピングバッグが買いたいんですが
This is a common phrase, and can be used to ask to buy various things!
_____ が 買いたいん です が - I would like to buy _____
天ぷら弁当 が 買いたいんですが - I would like to buy a tempura bento
tempura bentou ga kaitain desu ga
赤いシャツ が 買いたいんですが - I would like to buy a red shirt
akai shatsu ga kaitain desu ga
The Japanese verb to buy something, is 買う (かう) kau
In order to say we “want to buy”, we need to first conjugate the verb to the ~たい form; this literally makes any verb become “I WANT TO [verb]”, conveying a complete sentence in one step!
Verb conjugation can quickly become very complicated, but for the basis of this phrase please just know:
買う (TO BUY) → 買いたい (WANT TO BUY)
kau kaitai
- んです - the ん (N) comes before です (desu) adds a nuance to bridge the understanding between the speaker and
listener. In this instance, you are explaining that you would like a bag and therefore it sounds more natural to add this.
- We also add が after です (ですが), because it softens the sentence, making it less direct and therefore politer. The
nuance of が is that the listener already assumes what you're going to say next. Think of it this way: you wouldn’t shout
at a shopkeeper “I WANT TO BUY THIS!!!” - when asking for things, we want to make sure they are conveyed politely in Japanese.
-Also keep in mind that there are no plurals in Japanese! So even if you want to purchase multiple shopping bags/items
you still say the singular....
So if there are no plurals, how do you ask how to buy MULTIPLES of one thing?
Well, that's where COUNTERS come into play! Counters are specific suffixes added to numbers - whichever one is used
is based on what you are counting. Since there are literally dozens of these, we'll just focus on one: 〜枚(まい) [MAI].
〜枚(まい) [MAI] is used for FLAT objects. So things like paper, shopping bags, pancakes, DVDs, plates, magazines, etc.
Therefore, if you want to ask for multiple shopping bags, we use this counter.
[number] 枚 を ください
mai o kudasai
第三のポイント：売り切れ。
売り切れ ( うりきれ )
U RI KI RE
Sold Out
You might also see signs that say 品切れ (しなぎれ) SHI NA GI RE. Both of these mean “sold out”
JAPANESE CHEAT SHEET
Rica has prepared a special "cheat sheet" of useful Japanese phrases for you!
Save this image to your smart phone or print it out and use it when you need a little extra help.