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A real-world Pokémon Poké Ball hotel is opening in Japan at a still-secret location [Video]

Casey Baseel Sep 1, 2026
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Pokémon Sleep evolves into a whole new way to help Pokémon Trainers get some quality Zs.

For travelers in Japan, when choosing a place to stay “Hotel or ryokan (traditional inn)?” is often a question that has to be answered. Now, though, there’s a new accommodation option: Poké Ball.

In a bit of a linguistic contradiction, the Poké Ball-Themed Hotel is a joint project between the Pokémon Company and hospitality design company Not a Hotel. Not a Hotel describes its philosophy as “partner[ing] with acclaimed creatives to create one-of-a-kind homes for every location,” usually resulting in luxury rental properties with avant-garde architecture and interior designs. For this latest project, though, they’re building Poké Balls big enough for humans to sleep comfortably in, a fitting endeavor for the Poké Ball-Themed Hotel’s tie-in with the Pokémon Sleep wellness app.

Of course, you wouldn’t really be able to appreciate the accurate recreation of the shape of a Poké Ball if these were just rooms inside a building, would you? So instead, guests at the Poké Ball-Themed Hotel will be sleeping in detached Poké Balls in a lush natural environment, sort of a Pokémon glamping experience.

As for exactly where Poké-travelers will be staying, that’s still being kept a secret. All that’s been revealed so far is that the Poké Ball-Themed Hotel will be “somewhere in Hokkaido,” Japan’s northernmost prefecture. With Hokkaido boasting some of Japan’s lushest forests, the prefecture has no shortage of locations that could evoke the feeling of being on an adventurous journey to become a Pokémon Master, so its hard to speculate on any more specific location at the moment.

We probably won’t have to wait too long, though, since reservations are scheduled to open on September 15, at which time assumedly the exact location of the Poké Ball-Themed Hotel will be revealed. Speaking of its name, the use of the term “Poké Ball,” instead of “Monster Ball” as the items are called in Japanese-language Pokémon media, implies that the hotel will be welcoming of international travelers, and with Hokkaido getting enough snow in midwinter to make semi-outdoor accommodations an unappealing prospect, odds are the Poké Ball-Themed Hotel will be looking to welcome its first guests very soon.

Source: YouTube/ポケモン公式YouTubeチャンネル, Not a Hotel
Top image: YouTube/ポケモン公式YouTubeチャンネル
Insert images: PR Times, YouTube/ポケモン公式YouTubeチャンネル
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