Pokémon Culture in Japan

Pokémon, as a best-selling franchise worldwide, is well known in a lot of countries but with Japan being the country of its origin you can experience the phenomenon and enjoy your fandom of it in a lot of different ways. In this article, I would like to talk about how you can experience the Pokémon phenomenon in Japan. 

Pokémon Themed Cafes and Sweet Shops

Currently, there are two permanent Pokémon Cafes in Tokyo and Osaka where you can get Pokémon-themed food and enjoy a Pokémon-themed interior. The cafes change their menu regularly, so fans are encouraged to visit more than once. In Ikebukuro, you can also find a sweets shop called Pikachu Sweets that sells Pokémon-themed sweets, which also changes its menu regularly. Both places also sell limited merchandise you cannot get elsewhere.

Pokémon Centers

In many cities in Japan, you can find Pokémon Centers. Unlike in the anime, these are not places to heal your Pokémon but places to spend money. You can get all sorts of merchandise from plushies and figures, over trading cards to stationery and household goods. Before the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, they would also hold events at the centers regularly where you get the chance to take photos of someone dressed up in a Pokémon costume, can participate in mini-games or get certain bonus items for shopping at, or even just visiting the centre. If you visit during your birthday month, you can also get some special goodies, too.

Entrance area of the Pokemon Centre in Ikebukuro 

Pokémon Foods and Goods in Supermarkets

But you don’t have to go to a Pokémon Center or Café to find Pokémon-themed goods and foods in Japan. You can get them in almost every supermarket in Japan. In the sweets corner, you can find Pokémon-themed sweets and in the bread corner, you can find Pokémon-themed bread. Some supermarkets also sell small figures and shikishi (paper cards with illustrations) in blind boxes.

Pikachu Outbreak in Yokohama

Usually every August there is a big event held in Yokohama called Pikachu Outbreak where you can see all sorts of Pikachu dance shows and a Pikachu parade in several different locations around the city's Minatomirai area. Several performers wearing Pikachu costumes will collaborate with dancers to provide an amazing experience. The event lasts a few days and you will also be able to get limited goods and limited foods from shops close to the venues. Since corona though this event has not been held and it looks like there will be no Pikachu Outbreak this year either, but last year there was an online event instead where you could explore a virtual Pokémon theme park.

Pikachu and Eevee dance show

Pokémon Movies and Collaborations

Usually every year in summer a new Pokémon movie is released in Japan. Some of them later make it to other countries as well, but some of them don’t. To promote the movie places like Baskin Robbins, McDonalds or Mister Donuts will have special Pokémon-themed dishes that come with little goodies.

Pikachu McFlurry from McDonalds

Other Pokémon Foods

The Japanese beef bowl chain Yoshinoya has been doing collaborations with Pokémon a few times now. During the time of the collaboration, they have a limited gyudon (beef-on-rice) dish that comes in a bowl that looks like a Pokeball and you get a limited toy with your order. For the toys, they only chose Pokémon  whose Japanese name ends with “-don” because Yoshinoya mainly sells beef bowls which are called "gyudon" in Japanese. Pikachu is the only Pokémon that was made an exception to this rule so far.

The bowls are unfortunately not for sale and only available through lotteries that Yoshinoya holds on their Twitter account sometimes. Among fans, they are pretty valuable and are sold for quite high prices on online marketplaces.

The taiyaki shop chain Kuriko-an is also selling Magikarp shaped taiyaki at some of their stores. As far as I know, they are available in the Tokyo districts of Asakusa, Kichijouji and Akihabara.  They taste like the regular taiyaki but as a fan, these are kind of a must-try. These taiyaki are not a limited collaboration but are available throughout the year.

Pokémon Manholes

You might have heard of the Pokémon manholes. These are manholes with covers made in Pokémon designs that have been installed in several cities in Japan so far with new ones coming up regularly. On this site, you can check where which Pokémon manholes can be found in Japan.

This Pokémon manhole can be found in Serigaya Park

Closest to Tokyo are the manholes in Machida in Serigaya Park. Machida was the place where the creator of Pokémon Satoshi Tajiri spent his childhood. Watching bugs in parks was one of his hobbies that later became the inspiration for the Pokémon games.

As you can see, if you live in Japan, it is hardly possible to not come into contact with the Pokémon franchise, although I assume people who are not fans of the franchise will not really notice. As I am a fan, I am quite happy that I can live in Japan and can enjoy all the events and collaborations.

Are you a fan of the franchise or are you rather bothered by People playing Pokémon Go on the streets?