Gundam Base Announces New Permanent Store in the Heart of Shibuya

Bandai is expanding its official Gundam retail network once again, with a new permanent store set to open in one of Tokyo’s busiest shopping and entertainment districts before the end of 2026.

“THE GUNDAM BASE SHIBUYA” will open on the fifth floor of Shibuya PARCO, bringing the specialist Gundam shopping concept into an area that is already one of the city’s biggest destinations for anime, gaming and character merchandise.

THE GUNDAM BASE is Bandai’s dedicated retail network for Gundam and Gunpla, combining extensive selections of model kits with official merchandise and products that are exclusive to Gundam Base stores or selected events.

Bandai has yet to reveal exactly what the Shibuya location will offer when it opens, with its launch merchandise, exclusive Gunpla, displays and any opening campaigns all being held back for a later announcement.

Its choice of Shibuya PARCO should make the new store particularly convenient for fans visiting Tokyo, as the building already contains one of the city’s strongest concentrations of official gaming and character stores.

The floor immediately above is home to Pokémon Center Shibuya, Nintendo TOKYO, JUMP SHOP and CAPCOM STORE TOKYO alongside THE JOJO WORLD, SEGA STORE TOKYO and GODZILLA STORE Shibuya, effectively placing Gundam within the same building as several other major Japanese franchises.

The new Shibuya store announcement comes during a rapid expansion of THE GUNDAM BASE network both inside and outside Japan.

The brand originally began with a South Korean location in 2003 before expanding into markets including Taiwan, Japan, China, and Thailand, and as of September 2026, Bandai operates five THE GUNDAM BASE locations in Japan and 34 overseas.

A further five THE GUNDAM BASE SATELLITE stores operate around Japan, giving collectors smaller regional versions of the experience in addition to the main locations.

The latest addition to that Japanese network only opened on September 2, when THE GUNDAM BASE ANNEX in BHCPDII MUSEUM began operating inside Bandai Hobby Center’s model-making museum in Shizuoka.

THE GUNDAM BASE ANNEX in BHCPDII MUSEUM 2

That store has a slightly different focus, selling Gundam merchandise and souvenirs alongside Gundam Base and event-exclusive Gunpla, while also carrying kits created specifically for the BHCPDII facility.

MG 1100 Shin Musha Gundam [BHCPDII Color] 3

Japan’s expansion is set to continue after Shibuya as well, with THE GUNDAM BASE OSAKA already confirmed to open on the 11th floor of LUCUA South above JR Osaka Station in February 2027.

At around 1,227 square meters, the Osaka location is being developed as a much larger destination combining Gunpla and official merchandise with exhibitions and model-building experiences.

Bandai is simultaneously growing the concept in the United States, following the opening of THE GUNDAM BASE Chicago in 2025 as the country’s first permanent location.

Two more permanent US stores were announced this summer for Mall of America in Minnesota and Westfield Southcenter in the Seattle area, with both scheduled to open during fall 2026 and limited Gunpla planned to celebrate their respective launches.

The combination of those US openings, the new Shizuoka Annex, Shibuya, and the much larger Osaka store makes the next several months one of the biggest periods of expansion THE GUNDAM BASE has seen in recent years.

THE GUNDAM BASE SHIBUYA is scheduled to open in November 2026 on the fifth floor of Shibuya PARCO at 15-1 Udagawacho, Shibuya, Tokyo, with an exact opening date and further store details still to be announced.