In the world of Pokémon, the Kanto region is the setting for the early adventures of the first iconic anime series. As well as the original Pokémon Red and Green video games and their updated versions Blue and Yellow. In the real world, Kanto is geographically the eastern region of the main island of Japan, Honshu, where Tokyo and Yokohama are located. And the Pokepark Kanto is obviously intended to be set there.
And now comes the news that the virtual and real Kanto will be merged! The Pokémon Company has announced a forthcoming partnership with Tokyo’s Yomiuriland amusement park to create the Poképark Kanto themed area.
“We will produce a place where Pokémon fans from all over the world can gather in a lush natural environment and enjoy Pokémon in a way that transcends national, regional, and language barriers.”
Details of the park are currently scarce, but the description is reminiscent of Pokémon Wonder, an event that took place at Yomiuriland from 2021 to 2022. Although it is within the boundaries of Tokyo city, this amusement park is located in a rural area called Tama. The same mountainous and wooded area featured in the Studio Ghibli film Pom Poko. The Pokémon Wonder experience was not that of a theme park, but it was an activity of nature walking, a kind of Pokémon photo safari in search of Pokémon specially hidden among the vegetation.
But while Pokemon Wonder was from the outset a limited-time event, Poképark Kanto seems to be a permanent attraction. The Pokémon Company and the owner of Yomiruiland, the Yomiuri Shimbun company, have jointly formed a new company, Poképark Kanto LLC, specifically to manage the new attraction. So it is assumed that it will be a stable thing.
Despite its apparently larger size than Pokémon Wonder, it seems that the connection with nature will remain a key element in Poképark Kanto as well. As the announcement highlights the ‘generous nature’ that the Tama area continues to boast, while the center of Tokyo is becoming increasingly urbanized. Again, the same theme of the Isao Takahata film Pom Poko.
So we still know very little about this Poképark Kanto, what it will be like and when it will open? We will of course keep our ears open for updates, which you will find as always on these pages by staying tuned. In the meantime, if you are looking to spot and photograph some Pocket Monsters while exploring Kanto in the real world, don’t miss the new Pokémon manholes.
Learn more on the Pokepark Kanto official site.
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