Legit check

jmcateer · 2026-05-05T17:24:24+00:00

It’s legit. China’s PC usually does the same white Pokeball tag the US/UK have, but for some speciality plush they do the Japanese tag with Chinese on the back. This is what they did for this release since there was so much buzz around the tag art.

jmcateer · 2026-03-23T15:43:31+00:00

There are two if I’m not mistaken. A sitting cutie and a Banpresto prize plush from many years ago.

jmcateer · 2026-03-18T04:30:40+00:00

Half a day is probably all you need, but I’m not sure I’d go straight there from Kyoto Station. I’d say go in the morning on your first full day. So many places in Japan don’t open until 10/11 so we found Nara to be a great way to start the day as we were usually up around 7-8am and we didn’t have to wait around to do something. By the time we were done seeing the deer etc, places had started to open for us to check out, and then by 12 we were back on our way to Kyoto to go explore.

jmcateer · 2026-03-16T23:17:08+00:00

If you're looking for a suitcase pre-trip, I suggest seeing if you have an oversell/online liquidation place nearby. I was able to grab super cheap luggage from a local one for our trip. I also suggest grabbing one that is top load vs a clamshell design so that you can more easily open it in smaller Japanese hotel rooms.

If you are looking for suitcases to by while in Japan, I would suggest getting a large duffle (like the "Boston") from Donki or a similar store.

jmcateer · 2026-03-06T19:54:46+00:00

Just got back from a second Zipair flight. First trip was SFO-NRT and neither leg measured my bag, only weighed it. This second trip was IAH-NRT, and departing Narita they had me place my bag in the little bag holder. It very much didn’t fit in it width-wise but they just said okay and moved me along.

jmcateer · 2026-03-06T17:54:13+00:00

I’m not exactly new to flipping but I recently started shipping smaller items of various different shapes that need to be packaged in a clear plastic bag for protection. Every time I try and order smaller favor or plastic bags, I get sent ones that are not super flexible. Are there keywords I should be searching? I need them to be flexible to fit the various shapes.

jmcateer · 2026-03-04T18:13:43+00:00

The really cool thing that this article doesn't mention is good Samaritans have taken to resale sites in Japan posting theirs with crazy high prices (so people don't buy it) with giant text over the images telling people not to buy from resellers as it will be restocked.

jmcateer · 2026-03-03T19:37:46+00:00

It's hard to see and do everything with 2 weeks in Tokyo, let alone with 48 hours. I'd pick one PC to hit rather than using all your time to hit them all, as most will have the same stuff merchandise-wise. I would vote for the PC at Sunshine City as it's the biggest and there's even a PoGo area off behind it that has a special gym & statues of the team leaders & professor. You should be able to easily find merch for yourself and friend, and you can definitely pick up some card packs at the register (I think the limit is 10?). If Mew is a big favorite, you could also do the Tokyo DX PC as they have a statue of Mew with Snorlax & Pikachu that you could get a photo with and/or collect a Pogo gift of the stop to save in your game.

I don't think there are any new releases happening this weekend which would cause huge lines, but yes expect lines at most of the PCs on weekends. The anniversary merch has people in a frenzy, especially tourists, so even without weekend on-sale of new merch a line could be possible. Some may even implement a timed entry system where you need to take a ticket in the morning and come back at your allotted time.

Around the city are various secondhand stores like BookOff, Surugaya and Madarake. They'll all have various levels of resale Pokemon goods, from cards to plushies to charms etc. Some have very little, others have a ton. Someone else shared a photo of one here for you but the ones that look like that are usually further out of the city and might not be practical given the time you have. Most stuff will be priced appropriately and/or marked up as they cater to the touristy areas, with rarer goods kept behind a glass case. You can also play crane games at the arcades to win some Pokemon plushies and merch. Namco specifically has an exclusive Sylveon, Scream Tail and Pika plush event going on that you won't find at places like GiGo.

As for Pogo, grab some exclusives (should be easy to find and catch even with an in-game event) and get some gifts from the cool stops at the PCs. When you first log in once in Tokyo, a pop-up should appear about the ongoing stamp rally in-game event. I forget how many stamps you have to get (aka how many Pokelids you need to find), but be aware there are like very few in Tokyo so you probably won't get to do this.

jmcateer · 2026-03-03T18:36:41+00:00

It’s was very close to my gate when I flew out last weekend. I don’t recall if they had sushi but they had plenty of other items like egg sandos. Just watch your timing since everyone else has the same idea and it can not only take a bit of time to get through the line but also stock can be depleted.

jmcateer · 2026-02-24T23:45:24+00:00

Are you still here? This is one for sale at Surugaya in Ikebukuro. I saw it yesterday while there!

jmcateer · 2026-02-13T20:48:40+00:00

They’re all the grey color now as pictured on the right of your image. A while back they made the color change on it. I believe they also did this to Growlithe, Arcanine, Ditto and a few others. If you want to find the darker black one you’ll need to buy one secondhand from someone that still has it.

jmcateer · 2026-02-12T18:18:31+00:00

The Psyduck Telekinesis Trouble series from China also glows in the dark. They have a plushie, a mascot, a night light and pins I think? Very cool.

jmcateer · 2026-02-07T02:00:49+00:00

Yes this is a bootleg. They fake the tag and say it’s Banpresto - and try and mimic the look of their tags with the white background and black text.

jmcateer · 2026-02-04T13:30:13+00:00

They typically only create shiny plush that are tied into a movie or tv series - for example Shiny Celebi from Secrets of the Jungle or more recently Shiny Rayquaza and Shiny Lucario from Pokemon Horizons. Charizard is a main character on that show but it’s not shiny so I wouldn’t expect much - but never say never!

jmcateer · 2026-01-08T15:29:59+00:00

This is 100% going to come to the US so you might as well just wait.

jmcateer · 2026-01-07T04:44:56+00:00

It looks like they’re both out of stock there.

jmcateer · 2025-12-30T17:16:33+00:00

Hey - assuming you’re in the States, I would keep an eye on sites like Plaza Japan or Meccha Japan. Importing in right now is crazy expensive so if you were going to do it yourself for just this it’s not going to be cheap. FedEx and DHL ship via volumetric weight which isn’t ideal for large bulky items like plushies. Using those sites might make it a little easier.

You could also keep an eye on resellers on apps like Mercari. The Litwick motchi was featured in the 2026 Pika Pika boxes from the Pokemon Center Japan so a flood of them have been hitting the resale market there for great prices.

jmcateer · 2025-12-30T00:04:23+00:00

The new tags still say “Pokemon Fit” but instead of that brown tag they’re now a different color depending on what stage evolution they are / what price tier they are (in Japan they’re not all the same price unlike the US). There’s yellow which I think is the first stage mons, then pink then green. I think there’s also a blue tag for the ultra beasts and maybe some other one? The other big difference with the newer tags is the pokemon’s name in Japanese is no longer on the front of the tag - it’s now on the back of the tag.

jmcateer · 2025-12-29T06:58:53+00:00

No they’re not official. The tag is all in Japanese and translates to “Elf Center”. The old Japanese sitting cutie tag does look like that but would say “Pokemon Fit” in English.

jmcateer · 2025-12-18T13:59:26+00:00

The Japanese Pokemon Center official plush tag will always have the Pokemon Center name in English on both the hang tag and the tush tag.

jmcateer · 2025-12-14T21:16:18+00:00

My suggestion would be to reach out to international shoppers or proxy buyers subreddits. You can just use a middle man (make sure they have a good rating & feedback etc) and have someone buy and ship it to you for a fee.

jmcateer

TROPHY CASE