There’s a lot to explore within Tokyo Station. We’ve covered some of the restaurants and sweets shops you can find here recently, but after all that exploring, why not end it with some shopping?
Tokyo Character Street is one of the main areas within Tokyo Station – home to a wide assortment of shops ranging from Pokémon and Shonen Jump, to Rilakkuma, LINE, and even a Kirby Café. With 33 shops in total, this place sounds like a decent place to visit. But what exactly are some of the items you can find around here? And is it worth the trip? Let’s get to it. How Good is Tokyo Character Street Actually?
–Pokémon Store–
–Jump Shop–
–Donguri Republic–
–Rilakkuma Store–
–Kamen Rider Store–
–Tokyo Gashapon Street–
–Pop-Up Store–
–Other Stores–
–Kirby Café Petit–
–Tokyo Station: Other Areas–
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🛍 Pokémon Store Tokyo Station Shop 🛍
Starting off Tokyo Character Street, we have Pokémon Center’s Tokyo Shop. While technically not a full-scale Pokémon Center, you can still find a wide assortment of Pokémon merchandise here, including plushies, games, snacks, and figures.
And like all the other Pokémon Centers in Japan with their store-exclusive Pikachu plushies, you’ll find Tokyo Station’s own exclusive Train Conductor Pikachu here.
Goes without saying that if you’re a Pokémon fan (and especially if you’re hunting for all those exclusive Pikachu plushies), this shop is an easy recommendation.
Side Note: If you want to check out a proper “Pokémon Center,” you can find Pokémon Center Tokyo DX over at Nihombashi Takashimaya’s East Building (Nihombashi Station.) It’s only about a 10 minute walk down a (mostly) straight line. So if you have the time, I highly recommend you check this place out as well!
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🛍 Jump Shop – Tokyo Station Store 🛍
If you’re looking for merch from Dragon Ball Z, Chainsaw Man, Demon Slayer, and other Shonen (and some non-Shonen) franchises, then Jump Shop has you covered.
You can find a whole bunch of different non-figure items here, from stationeries like notebooks, stickers, and clear folders, to collectibles like keychains, can badges, and acrylic stands – not to mention other things like shirts, mugs, and foldable bags.
Definitely a recommendation if you want to grab some Shonen items during the trip.
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🛍 Donguri Republic (Studio Ghibli Store) 🛍
A favorite of a friend of mine, we have Donguri Republic – focusing on products from Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, and more.
Yes, the place has the usual assortment of collectibles, but a lot of the stuff here really screams “daily items” more than any other store. From household decorations like their clocks and door hooks, to tableware and mini figures, if you need to add a Studio Ghibli touch around the house, then this should be the place to head to.
Side Note: One thing I always like about the different Donguri Republic stores is their exterior decorations. But while this particular shop is a little light on potential photo spots, it’s still one of the more visually attractive stores at Character Street.
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🛍 Rilakkuma Store 🛍
You can find a wide assortment of Rilakkuma collectibles here, from plushies and mugs, to phone cases and notebooks, but the main highlight of the store is their Tokyo-exclusive plushies.
A lot of the stuff here works really well as gifts, so have a look when you stop by.
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🛍 Kamen Rider Store Tokyo 🛍
One of the latest additions to Character Street, Kamen Rider Store Tokyo is one of the larger stores on display.
With items like acrylic stands, keychains, shirts and figurines – not to mention their interesting looking Henshin Sound Cards – it’s definitely the place to go if you’re looking for Kamen Rider merch.
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🛍 Tokyo Gashapon Street 🛍
Located at the back edge of Character Street (and towards the Tozai Line), you’ll find a corner dedicated to rows and rows of gashapon machines.
Stop by and have a look at what they currently offer. Maybe there’s some new releases that’ll interest you.
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🛍 Harry Potter Mahou Dokoro 🛍
If you’ve seen my other reviews of Tokyo Station, you won’t be surprised to hear that Character Street also has their own Pop-Up shops – several, in fact. Occupying the main shop during my stay, we have Harry Potter Mahou Dokoro and its selection of, well, Harry Potter merchandise.
As for their other Pop-Up shops, you can find Street Wagon right around Pokemon Store. And for event-style collabs (held on an irregular basis), you’ll find those at Event Space Ichiban Plaza, towards the center and nearby the Miffy Style shop.
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🛍 Other Stores 🛍
The shops I listed above aren’t everything Tokyo Character Street has to offer, of course. From toy stores like Lego and Tomica shops, Anime and TV shops like Precure and Ultraman, and even some other brands like LINE and Mofusand, with 33 shops in total, this place alone is easily a couple hour’s worth of exploring.
For a full list of all the stores, check out here: https://www.tokyoeki-1bangai.co.jp/en/
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🍰 Kirby Café Petit 🍰
And for something brand new, you can also find Kirby Cafe right within Tokyo Character Street. Unfortunately, the place opened the day after I left Tokyo, so I wasn’t able to grab some photos (and try out their food.) But if you happen to be around, definitely check it out. The cakes and sweets they have look quite nice.
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🍭 Other Areas at Tokyo Station 🍭
Tokyo Station is massive, so if you do end up visiting here, there’s more than just Tokyo Character Street to enjoy.
🍭 Tokyo Okashi Land & Tokyo Gift Palette 🍭
Full Review: Tokyo Okashi Land & Tokyo Gift Pallete
For sweets and snacks to both try out and to buy as souvenirs, Tokyo Station is home to two areas dedicated to just that.
Located at Floor B1 (and next to Character Street), Tokyo Okashi Land features shops from famous snack brands like Calbee, Morinaga, Glico. If you’re looking for Jagabee, Hi-Chew, Pocky, or any of their other sweets, this is the place to head to. As an added bonus, the stores at Tokyo Okashi Land also sell freshly baked and fried goods exclusive to Tokyo Station.
And for some snacks you can only find in Tokyo and Japan, head upstairs to Tokyo Gift Palette for iconic Japanese sweets like Tokyo Banana, Royce Chocolates, Cigares, and much more. While you’re there, do check out Butter Butler’s Butter Financiers as well if you want my personal recommendation.
🍜 Tokyo Ramen Street 🍜
Full Review: Tokyo Ramen Street
On the same floor as Character Street, you’ll also find Tokyo Ramen Street, a collection of restaurants specializing in the different regional flavors of the iconic Ramen. From Shoyu to Tonkotsu Ramen, to Tsukemen and Soba, it’s a good place to stop by if you want to try out the different types of ramen out there.
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⭐VERDICT⭐
So how good is Tokyo Character Street actually? For a little area located within a subway station, the selection of shops here is surprisingly rich.
Some will probably compare this place to Akihabara, but the two really don’t have that much in common. While Akihabara centers around figures and second-hand stores, Tokyo Character Street is home to a lot of official stores, featuring a wider assortment of smaller merchandise and souvenirs – not to mention all the exclusive items you can find here.
So if you want a place to grab some goodies from all sorts of franchises, then Tokyo Character Street sounds like a great place to drop by.
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🚗HOW TO GET THERE 🚗
Tokyo Character Street is located right at Tokyo Station – the Yaesu side of the building – to be exact. If you’re coming via the subway (JR or Marunouchi Lines), head towards the Yaesu Underground Central Ticket Gate and Character Street should either be right there, or a quick turn to the left.
But if you’re nearby and prefer to just walk here (say you’re at Ginza or Nihombashi,) enter Tokyo Station via the Yaesu side’s main entrance and head down to floor B1 to First Avenue Tokyo Station.
Tokyo Character Street (Tokyo Station)
🌏 Location 🌏
Japan, 〒100-0005 Tokyo, Chiyoda City, Marunouchi, 1 Chome−9−1, First Avenue Tokyo Station Floor B1
🗺 Map 🗺
https://goo.gl/maps/LGxpwGRLniDVJPe19
⏰ Opening Hours ⏰
10:00 A.M. to 8:30 P.M.
💻 Website 💻
https://www.tokyoeki-1bangai.co.jp/en/
