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Tuesday, January 27, 2026
PokePark Kanto: Inside Pokemon Theme Park in Japan
variety.com: Every Pokémon fan’s childhood dream has come true: PokéPark Kanto, a sprawling Pokémon world, has come to life in Tokyo’s Yomiuri Land amusement park, complete with hundreds of life-sized Pokémon, two rides and countless hidden secrets to discover.
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3 comments:
I didn't ever play Pokemon as a kid or play now but I know that theme parks of a franchise that you love are so exciting for kids and adults. I think this is probably a huge market that has been underrepresented in theme parks and so it was very smart to fill that gap. I love that it's got a lot of realistic characters in it. I think that was probably really interesting to work on for the designers of the park and for the department that built all of the characters in the park. I would love to work on a project like this where you're just making cute little guys all day. I also think it's cool that they include like a few rides and then the town section. I wonder if they will continue to expand the like amusement park aspect and build more rides and stuff or if they will expand more on the like character aspect in the photo opportunities.
I’ve never actually played Pokémon or watched the shows, but I have to say, the characters are incredibly cute and fun to look at. Sometimes when I buy little merchandise, I pick Pokémon items just because of the designs. Reading about PokéPark Kanto, it sounds like such a magical experience for fans, with life-sized Pokémon, rides, and tons of photo opportunities. I especially love the idea that the park encourages exploration, from hidden Pokémon in the forests to the detailed town area with the gym and Poké Mart. Even as someone who isn’t a longtime Pokémon trainer, I can see how immersive and charming it would feel to walk through the park, almost like stepping into the games themselves. It seems like a perfect mix of nostalgia for older fans and excitement for younger visitors, and the attention to detail in the Pokémon habitats and interactive elements makes it feel really special.
I need to find some way to go to this. It’s good that my parents and I have been discussing a trip to Japan at some point soon. Growing up, I was huge into Pokemon, and still am to a certain extent. I’m certainly not as obsessed as I used to be, but I still find the games and anime (the XYZ anime is the best and you cannot change my mind) to be a good time and I love revisiting my old save files to see what I got up to. I’m also in the mood for a nuzlocke every now and then and Pokemon always delivers pretty interesting ones for me. Also Pokemon designs are just generally very fun to look at and draw, and I sometimes use them to warm up before drawing. Either way, this experience seems like a whole lot of fun and I am absolutely going to try and find a way to go.
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