Now you can go catch them all in their original setting: Kanto! Japan is opening a new Pokémon attraction in one of its existing theme parks that will allow guests to enter the world and seek out Pokémon in the lush natural world of PokéPark Kanto.
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The original Pokémon Red Version and Green Version games were set in the world of Kanto, and now the Pokémon company is taking us there for real. The real Kanto is an area of Japan that consists of several prefectural areas, including Tokyo. That is where the new park will be opened, in the pre-existing Yomiuriland found in the Tama district of Tokyo, a little farther from the city and closer to the lush nature found near the mountains.
It makes a lot of sense to open up a Pokémon theme park in Japan. Universal Studios has had a lot of success with their recently opened Super Nintendo World, an area dedicated to the iconic Super Mario franchise. Having been there myself, I have to say that it really lives up to the title of “Super.” As you walk through a green tunnel to find yourself entering into a brand new color-filled world, it truly is like you’ve been transported into the game. Thanks to its popularity, an expansion is already in the cards, titled Donkey Kong Country.
The Pokémon franchise is perfectly suited, then, to create an immersive experience. According to SoraNews24, The Pokémon Company announced that they would be partnering with Yomiuriland to create the park, stating, “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.” The companies, along with Yomiuriland’s owner, the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun, have created a new company called Poképark Kanto LLC to bring this vision to life.
Though this would look to be the first long-lasting, if not permanent, Pokémon theme park, Pokémon events have taken place at Yomiuriland in the past. Pokémon Wonder was an attraction event held at the park between the summer of 2021 and spring of 2022. Based on the park’s more rural location and its lush vegetation, the Pokémon Wonder was a sort of Safari-esque trip, where guests could walk around the untamed wilderness within the park grounds and capture sights of Pokémon with their phone cameras.
This park could become the perfect place for Pokémon lovers to come and fulfill their dreams of spotting Pokémon or diving into the world from their childhood. It is uncertain yet what exactly PokéPark Kanto will entail, whether it will have rollercoaster rides, safari walks, Pokémon stores, or maybe even an arena for Pokémon trainers to battle their Pokémon!
It is unclear when we can expect this park to open, as there has been no tentative date given. It could take some time, if we look at how long it was between he announcement of Super Mario World in 2016 and its actual opening in 2021, though some delays were due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But if you have plans to come to Japan before then, fear not: There are plenty of Pokémon-themed events, here in the games’ country of origin. Yokohama has a Pokémon Worlds Celebration event each year, which sees hoards of Pikachu descend upon the city, and there is always the Pokémon store in Tokyo to visit, too!
(featured image: Netflix)
