Arguably the most exciting aspect of visiting any Pokemon Center in Japan, is to be able to buy packs (or other sealed TCG product), exclusive plush and the exclusive pins, specific to each individual Center.
Long gone are the days where this was not only a certainty, but even a mere possibility. Instead the above image is what you should expect to find. Not only that, but the future seems bleak in regards to this changing, at least any time soon.
Of course, there’s always the possibility of finding the exclusive pins (potentially even plush) in one of the many TCG stores you can visit (click here to find out more about Japan’s TCG shops), that said it depends on chance and the price will naturally be marked up.
Pack Availability
This image represents the best case scenario you can currently expect to find whilst visiting any Pokemon Center.
The most recent set, a handful of days after being released, is realistically the only TCG product (pack wise) you will be able to purchase and it comes with a limit of 2 packs per person per day. And remember, that’s the best case scenario!
This was our precise experience in our recent trip to Japan. we visited for a duration of nearly 2 weeks, between the end of May and early to mid June 2026 and in that time, frequented the Pokemon Center in Osaka, Osaka DX and Kyoto.
In that time, ONLY the Osaka Center had any pack availability (illustrated above). Neither of the other 2 had any, nor were they even aware of when they would receive a restock. Consider that the most recent set (Abyss Eye) had only just released, it just goes to show how bad the pack shortage really is, if you want some at retail price from a reputable seller who doesn’t weight them of course (or is much less likely to do so).
Exclusive Plush & Pin
Finding exclusive plush and pins specific to each Center is even less likely than finding packs!
Check out our Pokemon Center pages to find out more about their exclusives!
During our trip we did not come across even a single exclusive pin or plush. Upon querying to establish whether they may restock during our trip, we were simply told it was unknown. Nobody knew, I’d imagine even The Pokemon Company itself doesn’t know.
You would be forgiven for thinking that surely such high demand for plush and pins would be a dream for The Pokemon Company. The problem however is that whilst high demand is generally desired, this level of demand in unfathomable and it’s likely that the infrastructure required to meet it simply does not currently exist.
If you have an upcoming trip or are planning to visit Japan anytime soon then we would recommend expecting the above to still be the reality. That said Japan is so much more than the Pokemon Centers (check out our blog post on the things we miss the most) and we hope you have a great time!
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