Apple CEO Tim Cook is in Japan this week to celebrate the reopening of Apple Ginza in Tokyo on Friday.
So far, Cook has met with Japanese boy band Number_i, and hugged Pokemon character Pikachu. Cook also said that he connected with App Store developers, and visited Bandai Namco to play iOS game Dragon Ball Gekishin Squadra.
Met Pikachu, connected with developers using our software features in amazing ways, and played Dragon Ball Gekishin Squadra at Bandai Namco… Japan is a gamer's paradise! pic.twitter.com/WIilg7NWrM — Tim Cook (@tim_cook) September 24, 2025
Apple Ginza was Apple's first retail store location outside of the United States when it opened in 2003. The flagship store included a 27-foot Genius Bar, an 84-seat theater, and an internet cafe for customers to visit.
The Sayegusa Building where Apple Ginza was located needed to be updated, so in 2022, Apple moved the store to a temporary location. Apple is now ready to reopen Apple Ginza, and the new store has received a number of upgrades.
There is an Apple Pickup station for customers to pick up online orders, a Genius Bar, a seating area for one-on-one Apple Vision Pro demos, and a space for Today at Apple sessions.
Customers in Japan can attend the store opening on Friday, September 26 at 10:00 a.m. local time, and Cook will be in attendance. The store will be selling special-edition Apple Gift Cards for the reopening, and Apple also shared special wallpaper designed for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
