If you're a fan of One Piece and especially if you don't live anywhere near Japan, going to One Piece Tower in Tokyo was literally a dream come true. I was lucky enough to get there during my trip to South Korea and Japan a couple of years ago.
Unfortunately, the official website says it has closed down for good on the 31st of July 2020, after 5 years of being open. All my dreams and hopes of going back there next year have been shattered but at least I have wonderful memories of being there and I thought I'd share some of them with you.
I got there not really knowing what to expect or how hype to get, I was simply happy to be there. I was also happy that I convinced my friend to start watching the Anime as well, just in time for this trip so she could have a rough idea of who the characters were and what the story is about.
After going through 'The World of One Piece' - a room where scenes from the series are projected on a 360 omnidirectional screen (highly, highly impressive) we went on to see the Live Show. The story changed seasonally (which I think it made it even more exciting) - the one I got to see was called 'Phantom' and it lasted for about 20 minutes. It was absolutely wonderful and although I didn't understand every single word they said since I'm still slowly learning Japanese, after watching hundreds of episodes (yes, hundreds) I knew what was going on on stage.
It was time for a little break so we had to choose from Sanji's Oresama Restaurant, Cafe Mugiwara or Franky's Cola Bar. We went to the latter for a quick snack and drink in need of a burst of energy so we can explore some more and went to Cafe Mugiwara after we were done shopping. Sanji's Restaurant didn't make it on our list and I was hoping to go back next time, but oh well, what can I do?...
You could get souvenirs from the Mugiwara and the Tongari Store and rest assured that we did but only after playing some of the interactive games such as: Zoro's Soul Of Edge, Nami's Casino House, Robin's Finding Ponegliff or Brook's Horror House. I think they were all fun to play no matter your age and I'll admit that at the time I would have liked to see more games with a higher level of difficulty. Right now I just wish it would still be open for when I can get back there.
After we were done with the games we made use of the Photo Spots scattered through the levels and then had a little stroll through Manga Walk - a Comic Exhibition that displayed the most recent pages of the manga. I was not up to date at the time and I wanted to avoid any spoilers if possible so I took as many pictures as I could and tried not to look at them in detail until it was the right time (mission impossible).
We had fun playing games, we saw a great show, we bought our souvenirs and took advantage of the Photo Spots. It was a memorable experience and especially now, knowing that they are closed down for good, I feel even more grateful for getting there on time to explore a bit more of the wonderful world of One Piece.
By watching this Anime throughout the years I've learned a lot about the characters, I laughed with them, I cried with them, I've learned a few Japanese words and expressions and I've learned a lot about myself. In 1066 episodes and counting you have a bit of time for everything.
Being in the Guinness World Records as the comic book series with the most copies published by a single author - more than 320 million copies, I'm sure I'm not the only one sorry that Tokyo One Piece Tower has closed down.
Have you ever been there?
*2023 Edit
Luckily, you can still find Merchandise at the Official One Piece Stores in Shibuya and Ikebukuro in Tokyo. The Shibuya Store was way more disappointing when I went in April, compared to the last time I've been there.
I hope life is treating you well.
Take care