Theme parks and exhibitions

Museums and exhibitionsRetro gamingTheme parksTheme parks and exhibitions

Daiba Itchome Shotengai: the Japanese retro-kitsch theme park

Daiba Itchome Shōtengai (台場一丁, also known as Odaiba 1-Chome Shotengai) is a small retro-styled theme park in the Decks Tokyo Beach Odaiba shopping centre. This is where you can get your dose of 1950s Japanese retro-kitsch in the form of lollies, arcade games and more. We recently paid a visit to Daiba Itchome Shōtengai where we felt like kids in a (retro) candy store.

Read More
Anime and gaming shoppingMuseums and exhibitionsOther anime and gamingShoppingTheme parks and exhibitions

Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo: the largest Pokémon Center in Japan

The Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo in Ikebukuro’s Sunshine City shopping centre is the largest Pokémon Center in Japan. This is where Pokémon fans shop for a huge range of merchandise including limited edition items. We stopped by to have a look and to buy souvenirs for some Pokémon obsessed friends back home.

Read More
Anime and gaming shoppingAnime and gaming theme cafesGundamMuseums and exhibitionsOther anime and gamingPlaces of interestPopular CultureTheme cafes, restaurants and barsTheme hotelsTheme hotelsTheme parksTheme parks and exhibitions

Diver City Tokyo: the ultimate Gundam experience

Diver City Tokyo Plaza is located on the artificial island Odaiba (お台場) in Tokyo Bay. It also happens to be a place of pilgrimage for many hardcore Gundam fans. Gundam (ガンダム) is an anime franchise revolving around giant robots (“mecha”) known as “mobile suits”. Diver City is home to the only full-size Gundam statue in the world. Right next to the Gundam statue is a Gundam Cafe, and inside the shopping centre is Gundam Front Tokyo – a Gundam museum.

Read More
EvangelionFeaturedFujiMuseums and exhibitionsOutside of TokyoTheme parksTheme parks and exhibitions

Evangelion World: interactive anime exhibition at Fuji-Q Highland

Evangelion: World is an attraction at Fuji-Q Highland (富士急ハイランド), an amusement park located at the foot of Mt Fuji. As the name suggests, Evangelion: World – or Eva World for short – is all about the popular anime series, Evangelion. Rather than a ride, this is a permanent exhibition with everything from life-size models to museum-like displays, original artwork and plenty of interactive installations for some great photo opportunities.

Read More
Anime and gaming shoppingAnime and gaming theme cafesCafesFinal FantasyMuseums and exhibitionsOther anime and gamingPopular CultureShoppingTheme cafes, restaurants and barsTheme diningTheme parks and exhibitions

Artnia: the egg-shaped Square Enix store and cafe

Located in an egg shaped building in Shinjuku, Artnia is both a cafe and Square Enix merchandise store. For those who are not familiar with Square Enix, this is the company responsible for Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest and other games. Restaurants, bars and cafes associated with games (as well as anime) are amongst the things that Japan does best, and Artnia is no exception.

Read More