Tokyo has unveiled its first permanent Pokémon theme park, PokePark Kanto, at Yomiuri Land, drawing massive crowds with its themed rides and woodland area. The park, inspired by the franchise's origins, caters to Japan's record-breaking influx of tourists, with tickets already sold out for 2 months. Universal Studios Japan is also planning its own Pokémon attractions.
The first permanent Pokémon theme park opened in Tokyo on Thursday, featuring cute rides and a woodland area where visitors can try and catch 'em all."
It is Japan's latest tourist attraction, catering to a record influx of overseas travellers, and tickets are already sold out for the next two months. Visitors to PokePark Kanto within Tokyo's largest amusement park, Yomiuri Land, are greeted by statues of the electric mouse Pikachu and other creatures from the franchise. Pokémon, one of Japan's top cultural exports, began in 1996 as a video game series for Nintendo's Game Boy.
Inspired by the Japanese summer childhood tradition of bug collecting, players catch and train in battle hundreds of pocket monsters. The phenomenon has evolved since then into a worldwide phenomenon, with anime series, movies, trading card games, and the augmented-reality smartphone app Pokémon Go.
PokePark Kanto has two areas: a hilly outdoor zone nearly half a kilometre long, full of Pokémon figurines, and a town modelled on those in the games for shopping and rides. To access the woodland area, visitors must be able to climb 110 steps without assistance, according to the park's website. A record number of tourists entered Japan in 2025, despite a steep decline in Chinese visitors in December due to a diplomatic row between the two nations. Another big theme park, Universal Studios Japan in Osaka, said last month it was also planning Pokémon-themed attractions without giving details.
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