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Tokyo’s Shinjuku Station’s west side: Quite possibly best spot in Japan for Pokémon GO

Master Blaster Aug 30, 2018
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We can’t say definitively that it’s the best, but 12 shiny Eevees in three hours is hard to beat.

Back in July of 2016 when Pokémon GO was first released in Japan, there were several places that became flooded with aspiring trainers. For example, masses of people could be seen congregating in Kinshi Park staring at their smartphones in search of the then-coveted Bulbasaur.

▼ Kinshi Park, circa 2016

Those days have long since gone, however, and you aren’t likely to find quite the same large gatherings as back then, but our writer and born-again trainer P.K. Sanjun has found one place where the magic lives on: the area outside the west exit of Tokyo’s Shinjuku Station.

Sure, most crowded places like Kinshi Park or Akihabara are generally active for Pokémon GO players and you’re certain to find a small flock during raid battles near most major train stations, but this place is special and quite possibly the best place to play Pokémon GO in all of Tokyo, if not Japan.

P.K. had heard word of this place, known as “Pokémon Plaza” and located in between two buildings of the sprawling Yodobashi Camera electronics store complex. He didn’t venture out there until the Eevee Community Day held earlier this month, however, which was set to begin at 6 p.m. P.K. made sure to get there a few minutes early, but nothing would prepare him for what he saw.

There was a sea of people standing around the front of Yodobashi Camera, as if a festival were about to commence. However, there was something slightly off about this scene compared to that of an actual festival.

Aside from a few groups and couples, nearly everyone was by themselves. This meant that despite all the people there, almost no one was talking and the whole area was eerily quiet. P.K. occasionally heard a few normal people walk by and wonder out loud what was going on.

The ironic lack of community in Community Day was secondary to what was about to happen, though. When the clock struck six, P.K. lifted up his phone and prepared for the onslaught of Eevees.

What makes Pokémon Plaza special is the unrivaled density of Pokéstops and gyms, as well as the steady presence of trainers who keep lure modules burning round the clock. This means there is never a lull in the generation of either items or Pokémon allow for perpetual playing without moving an inch.

Yodobashi Camera was even kind enough to install public benches (a rarity in much of Japan) and vending machines to further facilitate playing as long as your battery will allow. And even if your battery does die, there just happens to be an electronics store nearby fully stocked with chargers.

P.K. spent a total of three hours that evening and bagged a total of 300 Pokémon, including a very impressive 12 shiny Eevees (rare Eevees with a different color than regular ones). On a regular Community Day event you’d be pretty lucky to grab two or three shiny versions, but 12 is a whole other level.

Granted this result was from a special event, but even relative to community day results in other areas it was an enviable haul. The world is large and diverse so it is hard to say without a doubt that Pokémon Plaza is the best Pokémon GO spot in Japan, but if anyone asks P.K. when to try and get a shiny, he’ll know exactly where to send them.