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Poképark Pokémon theme park area announced for Japan’s real-world Kanto region

Casey Baseel Dec 12, 2023
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Tokyo’s Poképark Kanto will be Kanto in more ways than one.

Within the Pokémon world, the Kanto region is the setting of the original Pokémon Red and Green video games, as well as their updated versions, Blue and Yellow, and also where the initial adventures of the Pokémon anime series take place. Here in our world, the Kanto region geographically refers to the eastern part of Japan’s main island of Honshu, the part of the country where Tokyo and Yokohama are found.

But now comes news that the Pokémon Kanto and real-world Kanto are going to be merging. The Pokémon Company has announced that it’s entering a partnership with Tokyo amusement park Yomiuriland to create Poképark Kanto. “We will be producing a place where Pokémon fans from around the world can gather in a lush natural environment and enjoy Pokémon in a way that transcends the barriers of country, region, and language.”

Details are currently sparse, but the description brings to mind Pokémon Wonder, an attraction event held at Yomiuriland between the summer of 2021 and spring of 2022. Though within the Tokyo city limits, Yomiuriland is located in the relatively rural Tama section of the city, where much of the terrain remains mountainous and forested. Pokémon Wonder was a unique nature walk/Pokémon photo safari activity, in which fans could explore a section of the Yomiuriland property where plant life had been growing unchecked for nearly 20 years while looking for various Pokémon species hiding among the foliage.

▼ Photos from our visit to Pokémon Wonder

But while Pokémon Wonder was, from the start, planned as a limited-time event, Poképark Kanto looks to be a permanent, or at least much more long-lasting, attraction, seeing as how the Pokémon Company, Yomiruland, and Yomiruiland owner Yomiuri Shimbun have jointly formed a new company, Poképark Kanto LLC, to operate it. Despite the ostensibly larger scale, though, it looks like the connection to nature will remain a key element of the Poképark Kanto experience, as the announcement makes a point of mentioning the “bountiful nature” that the Tama area continues to boast as central Tokyo has become increasingly urbanized.

No mention has been made of when Poképark Kanto will open, so we’ll be keeping our ears open for updates. In the meantime, if you’re looking to spot some Pocket Monsters while exploring real-world Kanto, Yokohama’s adorable Pokémon manhole covers aren’t a bad place to start.

Source: PR Times, The Pokémon Company
Top image: PR Times
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