Today we are very excited to announce a new PokéJungle project!
We are incredibly fortunate to have two members of staff reside in Japan, the home of Pokémon. As some of you may (or may not?) expect, Pokémon is absolutely huge in Japan. Almost everywhere you turn you can expect to find something Pocket Monsters-related, from station signage to vegetable juice drinks. It’s everywhere.
Because of this, we wanted to try something new for the site, and as such we’re proud to announce our Journey of Pocket Monsters project. Based on Instagram (for now) we will post daily photographs and stories on anything and everything Pokémon-related we find in our daily lives. In addition to this we will have accompanying articles for special Pokémon events hosted in Japan right here on PokéJungle.net.
So please, go follow the Journey of Pocket Monsters Instagram account and enjoy the journey! You never know, you might catch a giveaway or two! Let us know what other exciting projects you’d like us to undertake next… a Pokémon merch store? A subscription box?! Maybe one day…
PokéJungle @ Pikachu Outbreak 2017
As some of you may be aware, Yokohama is currently home to Japan’s 2017 Pikachu Outbreak event and yesterday we were lucky enough to attend.
Upon arrival at the nearest (ahem…) station to Yokohama’s Red Brick Warehouse Park, it was obvious that this event was hugely popular. Crowds of people filled the streets, every single one of them playing Pokémon GO despite being an almost 15 minute walk from the Kanto Park area. As we walked nearer and nearer the crowds became even larger and and it soon swelled to become a sea of cardboard Pikachu hats.
At the Red Brick Warehouse Park only Pokémon from Kanto could be found and, as such, it served as an excellent spot to find the previously unavailable (in Japan) Mr. Mime. The park itself held a few stalls selling Pikachu goods, refreshments, one specifically for the Pokémon GO Plus accessory and a few Pikachu-themed vending machines serving Pikachu vegetable juice drinks. Let’s not forget the giant inflatable Pikachu too! After walking around Mr. Mime finally appeared and after catching HER—yes, a FEMALE Mr. Mime (Miss Mime if you’re nasty)—we decided it was a good time to move on to a different area.
Next, we headed to the World Porters building in Minato Mirai. Along the way crowds thickened and it was possible to catch a glimpse of several smaller event locations as well as the Pikachu blimp in its land form. Inside the building crowds were gathering for a Hawaiian dance which involved three humans dancing with two giant Pikachu. The dance itself wasn’t all that entertaining, but the Pikachu prancing about in leis and grass skirts? Priceless. These type of events are the kind of thing that gives a sense of scale to just how big Pokémon is in Japan.
After more browsing and catching Pokémon in GO, we finally headed towards the Johto Park near the Cup Noodles Museum. Upon arrival, we spun the the special Pokémon Park Gym and picked up the badge and proceeded to catch as many Johto Pokémon as we could. The Johto Park wasn’t filled with any stalls, but instead held a few special replicas of PokéStops and Gyms from Pokémon GO, and also a special GO-themed WiFi hotspot truck. The park was probably the nicest area of the event as the crowds were much more relaxed and you could really feel a sense of community, even with everybody having their heads down in their phone. The view also particularly nice, looking out on Tokyo Bay with cruise liners and passenger boats passing through.
Finally, we decided to head home via Minato Mirai station. Just before passing through the ticket gates we noticed yet another giant inflatable Pikachu and moved towards it, discovering a small Pikachu goods pop-up store and a wall of Pikachu heads.
While we didn’t stick around for any of the scheduled events (parades, stage shows, etc) besides the Hawaiian dance, we did get a good taste of just how crazy these Pikachu Outbreak events are. If you ever happen to be in Japan next year, definitely be sure to check it out as it’s an experience you won’t forget.
Be sure to follow our Journey of Pocket Monsters Instagram and stay tuned for our next look into a Pokémon event here in Japan. Thanks for reading!
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