SoraNews24 —Japan News—

Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.

TOP

» Japan
» Japanese airline rolls out its summer 2014 Pokémon-themed travel deals!

Featured

Weird
Studio Ghibli
Jobs

Japanese airline rolls out its summer 2014 Pokémon-themed travel deals!

Krista Rogers Jun 10, 2014
Tweet

Pikachu invites you to create wonderful memories with your family this summer as part of All Nippon Airways (ANA)’s 2014 Pokémon-themed travel campaign! The summer campaign has proved popular with families with small children in the past (and with the adults, too…), and 2014 promises to be no exception. Some of the notable features include the chance to fly in a one-of-a-kind Pokémon jumbo jet, a special in-flight animated video, hotel rooms decked out in Pokémon paraphernalia, and other cool surprises! If you’re a Pokémon fanatic, this might just be the perfect vacation plan for you.

A promotional video for the campaign was uploaded on YouTube a few days ago, which is where we got our first glimpse of the fun to come!

▼Unfortunately, that fun doesn’t include sprouting Pikachu ears like these kids…

▼…or their parents.

▼Actually, we’d be a little concerned if we saw this family playing at the beach.

Some of the campaign’s special offers include freebie toys on the airplane, an animated short, a decorated jet, and special areas inside the airports themselves:

Between July 17 – August 3, a special Pokémon-themed jumbo jet will fly between Tokyo’s Haneda Airport and Sapporo’s New Chitose Airport. You can experience the magic for yourself if you book a ride on any of the following flights:

ANA51, ANA63, ANA73 (Tokyo → Sapporo)
ANA54, ANA66, ANA78 (Sapporo → Tokyo)

Similarly, the jet will fly between Okinawa’s Naha Airport and Nagoya’s Chubu Centrair International Airport on August 30:

ANA302 (Naha → Nagoya) (flight time: 11:45 AM-1:50 PM)
ANA307 Nagoya → Naha) (flight time: 2:35 PM-4:45 PM)

▼Warning: plane packed full of excitable children!

ANA will also continue their tradition of airing special in-flight Pikachu animated shorts. This year’s film is titled “Pikachu, what kind of key is this?” (“Pikachu, kore nan no kagi?“), and the story will revolve around Klefki, the key ring pokémon.

▼Promotional image for the Pikachu short

Next on the campaign list are special Pokémon-themed hotel rooms at select ANA-affiliated hotels in Kyushu, Hokkaido, and Okinawa. YouYour children will jump for joy when they see the cute interior decorations!

▼Our dreams will come true if ANA ever gets around to designing a Pokémon-themed ryokan, too…

The decor is not the only thing to look forward to, because the hotel rooms also come complete with entertaining challenges, such as:

Exciting mission #1: Pokémon treasure hunt! Something special is hidden inside your hotel room–can you find it?

Exciting mission #2: Find the smiling Pikachu graphics on your room’s curtains and bedspread!

▼”Pika-summer exciting missions”

You can also book the hotel rooms as part of special package deals, with include admission to other local attractions. Here’s a sampling from Okinawa:

Whether you’re already an avid Pokémon fan or are just looking for an unusual getaway, maybe you should consider taking part in ANA’s campaign–it’s uniquely Japanese, and is sure to bring out the inner child in you!

Sources/Images: ANA, YouTube