Young and not-so-young Pokemon fans will be wowed by the offerings and decor at the Pokemon Centre at Jewel Changi Airport in Singapore, the first Pokemon Centre in Asia outside Japan.
When I first read that a Pokemon Centre was coming to Jewel Changi Airport, my first thought was it's about high time! My two kids are Pokemon fans and they could only salivate when I raved about the Pokemon Centre I’d been to during a business trip to Japan [after work hours of course!].
But we'd only worked up the courage to visit the Pokemon Centre at Jewel three months after its opening. Okay, it was more me than the rest of my family. I had read about the crowd and queue outside the store, and I’m really not one for crowds!
Now I’m pleased to say that we've finally visited the Pokemon Centre at Jewel, and for a Saturday morning, the crowd was definitely not as huge and scary as the opening days. But according to my friends, the crowd can still vary depending on the time you go. The store was not as big or has as wide a variety of merchandise than the Pokemon Centre Mega in Tokyo I had been to, still our kids were still absolutely thrilled to bask in the Pokemon world atmosphere while picking out Pokemon plushies.
Here are six things that will wow you at the Pokemon Centre at Jewel Changi Airport:
1) Hard to find Pokemon plushies
My kids have quite a collection of Pokemon plushies but now that they’ve watched more Pokemon animated series like the latest Alola seasons, they’re requesting for these newer Pokemon that are hard to find in departmental stores or online stores.
So if your kids have outgrown the Pikachus and Bulbusaurs, and they really want that uncommon legendary or mythical Pokemon plushy, there’s a good chance they’ll find it here. Just get your wallets ready!
Like these Delphox, Chesnaught, Serperior, Samurott, Emboar, Swampert, Empoleon and Infernape at $54 each...
This Poipole at $26...
These Latios and Ho-oh at $59 each...
And these smaller plushies are at $19 each where each customer is allowed to buy up to five only.
We were a little disappointed we didn't see a Meltan plushy though. We read that this was released in Japan earlier this year. Maybe when the plushy finally comes to Singapore, that would warrant another trip for us to the Pokemon Centre!
2) Exclusive to Singapore merchandise
Some of the Pokemon merchandise are exclusive to the Singapore store like these pilots and cabin crew Pikachu (the bigger ones) at $28 each...
These Lapras and Celebi Moncolle Ex figurines at $6.90 each...
And these Peranakan peanut cookies at $10 each.
3) Super cool Pokedex
This Pokedex at the storefront really attracted our attention and that of many kids. You can learn about the different types of Pokemon by scrolling the touch screen, the fun lies in how futuristic it looks and feels. We would love a Pokedex like that!
4) Photo-worthy sculptures
The huge sculptures in the store make great photo ops too, like this storefront Lapras and Pikachu...
This Gyarados...
and this Celebi.
4) Cute Pokemon merchandise
There are lots of other cute Pokemon merchandise like stationery, caps, bags, purses, towels and many more. They look so cute you just feel like buying them whether you need them or not. You’ve been warned!
Like these Pokemon terrarium at $12 each...
These Pikachu and Eevee stickers, stationery and bags ($26)...
And cute face towels like this at $8 each.
6) Mascot appearances
Look out for mascot appearances at the store. An Eevee appeared at the store at 12pm on the Saturday we were there to the delight of young and older shoppers.
To top off your Pokemon experience, catch the Pikachu parade happening the month of July 2019. During the month, a 30-minute Pokemon Parade with Pikachu, Eevee and Mimikyu will happen every Saturday and Sunday at the mall at 2pm and 6pm starting from the west corridor of the Shiseido Forest Valley on the first level. It will then make its way to the North Canyon to perform a four-minute dance before continuing to the retail corridors on Level 1.
Bonus tips for your trip:
- There’s a Great Singapore Sale special going on at the Pokemon Centre till 28 July 2019.
A minimum purchase of $120 will get you these special foam Pokeballs.
- If you’re driving there, park at the Terminal 1/Jewel carpark but do so on the B3-B5 levels. The short-term parking levels of B2M and B2 are costly after the first 90 minutes of parking (subsequent 30mins or part of cost $5/30 mins). Parking at these two levels for the first 90 minutes and at B3-B5 for the whole day is at $0.04/minute.
- Oh, if you're wondering about those snaking queues at some of the famous eateries at Jewel, there was still a queue of at least 30 people outside Shake Shack when we passed by around 1030am, and the same for A&W at around 1pm on the Saturday we were there, just fyi.
Find the Pokemon Centre at Jewel Changi Airport, Airport Boulevard, #04-201/201. The store is open daily from 10am to 10pm.
Disclaimer: We paid for our own purchases, and my opinions and reviews here are strictly my and my family’s own.
©Vivian Teo. All content and photos are copyrighted to Vivian Teo unless otherwise specified.