First look: Google just opened its flagship Omotesando Store

While iPhones may reign supreme in the Japanese smartphone market, it’s undeniable that Google Pixels are gaining a foothold in the country. Among this momentum and the launch of the Google Pixel 11 series on August 12, Google is making a bet and establishing its physical presence in Tokyo with the opening of Google Store Omotesando, located inside the Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Omokado shopping complex.

Sandwiched between the nearby Apple and Samsung Galaxy stores, the Google flagship opened its doors to the public on August 13. The spacious, warm and modern store spans three floors, combining direct retail – a first for Google phones in Japan – with workshops for learning how to use various Google devices and features, a ‘studio’ to play around and immerse yourself in the latest AI technologies, as well as a hardware repair booth for Pixel devices.

On the first floor, you can experience the full line-up of the latest Google devices first hand and get a feel for the smartphones, including how heavy they are, while trying out the Pixel’s camera and software. One of the highlights is the Pixel 11 Pro Fold – which you can hold in your hand and open like a book (something iPhone folks will have to wait for).

Along with the massive wall of smartphone cases, the floor is dominated by the special installation ‘California Dreaming: Landscape of Colors 2026’, in which artificial hibiscus flowers made from recycled materials are used to represent the real plants that, along with sand, obsidian and olive trees, inspired the colourways of Pixel phones.

Climb up the stairs to the second floor to enter Pixel Studio, an area to immerse yourself in the latest world of AI by Google. For example, use Nano Banana, the company’s latest image generation and editing model, to reimagine yourself as a ukiyo-e print, in an 8-bit world akin to Akihabara or as a Harajuku-fied Lego doll, at the Gemini photo booths (which are essentially high-tech purikura machines). These machines spew out AI-generated videos of yourself, too.

Other interactive booths include the avatar-making station, where you can use a physical Pixel 11 phone to take a selfie and create a cute one-of-a-kind avatar of yourself. You can take the avatar home in the form of an ID card.

The most graphically intensive and impressive of the immersive AI offerings is Project Genie, a booth where you can enter fully navigable environments that generate in real time based on the user’s actions on the joystick. The experimental AI research prototype is available to tinker with by first entering a prompt describing the environment you’re trying to generate and the character you’d like to play as.

On this floor, you can also grab some store-exclusive official merch, which includes colourful limited-quantity tote bags and stationery to carry around, as well as Japan-inspired tableware, all of which include a pop of Google’s signature colours.

The basement floor, meanwhile, offers free-of-charge troubleshooting support for Pixel users, as well as in-store repairs for Pixel hardware (namely Pixel phones, Pixel 6a and newer) and Pixel Watches (Pixel Watch 4 and newer). The customer support area features an artwork made from recycled Pixel Watch band components by designer and artist Norihiko Terayama. Until now, Pixel users did not have the option to bring their phones to official stores for repairs, so this will be a welcome addition.

Whether you’re already a Pixel convert, curious about switching from an iPhone or simply want to see what Google’s latest AI can do, the new Google Store Omotesando is worth a visit.

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