# Pokémon Café & lottery

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> from Quest Log Japan, a curated guide for the otaku traveler. Place data
> is editorial; verify hours before you go.
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How café reservations and the 30th-anniversary lottery work.

Two themed Pokémon Cafés you book ahead: **Tokyo (Nihonbashi, Takashimaya)** — same building as Pokémon Center Tokyo DX — and **Osaka (Shinsaibashi)**. Slots are notoriously hard to get but free to reserve.

## How reservations work

Slots open **31 days in advance at 6:00 PM Japan time (JST)** on the official reservation site. The playbook below is gathered from a community reservation-tips thread. ([Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravelTips/comments/1dr614w/all_the_pokemon_cafe_reservation_tips_gathered/))

- **Be on the calendar page ≤7 min before 6pm JST.** Arriving triggers an image human-verification check (it can also reappear randomly up to registration) — go through it calmly. Verification re-checks roughly every 10 min, so sitting too long invalidates your session and you restart.
- **Pre-select before release.** Set guest count and click your target day — it shows "N/A" until release (the prior day shows "Full"); clicking bolds it so you're ready to submit.
- **Race 6:00:00.** Keep a seconds-accurate clock visible, mouse on Submit, finger on refresh. Click at exactly 06:00:00. One second early sometimes works on busy days but can throw "no seats."
- **Grab any open slot, fast.** Be first to pick any available time, but skip the very first slot (everyone grabs it).
- **Refresh with the browser (F5), not the site's blue reload** on the congested/busy page — historically the blue button restarted you from the beginning. Keep refreshing through busy pages.
- **Registration = secured.** Reaching registration means the slot is yours. Have an email ready for the auth code; for the furigana name field you can repeat your alphabetical name. Finish within **15 minutes** or it is released. This is also your one shot at online-exclusive merch (limit 3 items per guest).
- **Retry at :20 and :40.** Miss 6:00? Slots reopen around 6:20 and 6:40 (sometimes to 7pm) from unsold or cancelled slots. Prep ≤7–10 min ahead each round.
- **Day-before cancellation watch (least stressful).** Cancellations usually surface 1–2 days before; check from ~9:40pm JST, then 10:00, 10:20, every 20 min (10pm JST is the last time people can cancel online).
- **No-reservation walk-in line.** If booking fails, the café has a same-day walk-in line — tables free up from no-shows, and people report being seated within ~20 min. You may not need a reservation at all.
- **Watch your IP, avoid resellers.** Refreshing too aggressively can trigger a 403; if several people try, use different WiFi or mobile data. Skip resellers (scam/bot-heavy, free reservations marked way up).

## Pokémon 30th-anniversary lottery (kuji)

**Ichiban Kuji Pokémon 30th Anniversary** (Bandai Spirits) is a no-lose lottery: **¥750 per ticket**, every ticket wins a prize (tiers A–J), starter-themed (Kanto / Johto / Hoenn / Sinnoh). The acrylic starters clock is Prize A; a 50 cm Pikachu is the "last ticket" prize.

**Sold nationwide** — Pokémon Centers, bookstores, hobby shops, drugstores, Ichiban Kuji shops — not Pokémon-Center-only. **vol.1** runs from May 30, 2026; **vol.2** from July 2026 (which volume you find depends on your travel dates). Per-store stock is limited — once a shop's batch sells out, it's gone, so don't wait. ([Kuji-Collection](https://www.kuji-collection.com/en/news/ichiban-kuji-pokemon-30th-anniversary-vol-1-the-big-30th-anniversary-lottery-arrives-in-may-2026))