Visiting the Pokémon Cafe is on the hit list for many parents and Pikachu fans alike, but reserving a spot to get in can be more difficult than booking an ANA First Class flight.
Here’s how my family was able to get in and what we thought of the experience.
The Most Popular Themed Cafe
Japan is host to a variety of themed cafes for popular franchises, but probably the most well known of these is the Pokémon Cafe, inspired by the famous Pokémon video game.
The café is a unique place where Pokémon fans can enjoy a fun and interactive dining experience that features dishes and drinks inspired by the various Pokémon characters.
Location
The Pokémon Cafe has two permanent locations in Japan: one in Tokyo and one in Osaka.
On our trip to Japan this past March, we visited the Osaka location.
The Tokyo location was the first to open in 2018, in the Nihonbashi district. It is located beside the Pokémon Center of the Takashimaya department store, the largest official Pokémon store in Japan (which is worth a visit on its own) and is open from 10:30am to 10pm.
The café in Osaka opened a year later in 2019, in the Shinsaibashi district. It is located inside the Daimaru department store and is open from 10am to 9:30pm.
Booking a Reservation
Like everything popular in Japan, an advanced reservation is needed to visit either café location (at least according to their website). Online reservations become available on the cafés’ official website 31 days prior to your planned visit, at 6pm Japan time.
Through the online reservation pages, you can book for up to a maximum of 8 guests per reservation, pending availability.
To make a reservation, select the number of guests and the date of your visit. After this, the time slots for that day will pop up. Chances are that you’ll see all the time slots greyed out, meaning that they are fully booked and not available for booking.
Time slots with blue text indicate availability for booking.
When it comes to booking the Pokémon Cafe, don’t make your plans expecting to book a preferred time slot. Rather, book whatever time slot you can get and then work the rest of your schedule around it.
Take note that the café in Osaka is also divided into three seating areas (A, B, C). While seating area A is closest to the short show that the café puts on, once again, your best bet is to just select whatever seating is available at the time of…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Prince of Travel…