3 Pokémon Adventures To Enjoy In Golden Week 2023
Pokémon festivals, art, food, and of course, video games!
The Pokémon Chronicle
The Pokémon Chronicle brings you a weekly roundup of all the latest Pokémon news from Japan, and beyond.
Hi there Pokéfan. It’s Golden Week (GW) in Japan, so the whole country is gearing up to take a week’s vacation (hence the delay in this week’s newsletter). 2023’s holiday period brings a ton of Pokémon news that I cannot wait to share with you.
Here’s what’s been going on:
🇯🇵 News From Japan and Beyond - Chocolate, electric busses, and Pokémon Go Fest 2023!
📰 The Main Story - 3 Pokémon Themed activities to enjoy in Japan this GW
🧸 New Merch Alert - adorable sleeping Pokémon figures.
🥸 Who’s That Pokémon!? - can you figure it out?
🇯🇵 News From Japan and Beyond
Crunk on Pokémon - Chocolate company Lotte is releasing limited edition Pokémon versions of its CRUNKY chocolate bars. Starting May 16th, both regular milk chocolate CRUNKY and the Cookies and Cream flavor will feature 9 different Pokémon designs, each (one Pokémon of each type)!
Mie Prefecture introduces hydroelectric power Pokémon busses. The two new EV buses hit the road on April 24th and run partially on hydroelectric power. They’re fittingly decorated with electric mons and the water-type Oshawott, the mascot of Mie prefecture.
Pokémon GO Fest 2023 announced for London, Osaka, and New York. Niantic has announced that this year, physical Pokémon Fest Events will take place in London and Osaka (Aug 4 ~ 6) and New York (Aug 18 ~ 20). A global digital event will be held Aug 26 - 27. Events offer players the opportunity to encounter exclusive Pokémon, participate in special research, and more. Ticket prices and details here.
Pikachu’s a soccer fan. On May 21st, Pikachu will be making a guest appearance at the Seibu Ryokuchi Koen Athletic Stadium in Kanazawa, Ishikawa prefecture, Japan. Pikachu will put on a halftime show during a soccer game, as well as sticking around for photos.
📰 Main Story - 3 Ways To Celebrate Golden Week 2023 In Pokémon Style
Japan is the mecca of Pokémon. The series and its characters are literally everywhere here, appearing on buses, trains, and planes and in museums, candy, and even on X-ray machines.
Unsurpirisingly, there are lots of Pokémon-themed activities and events happening during the Golden Week holiday in 2023. This poses a dilemma for visitors to Japan this May: with so many things to do, what are the most exciting activities for Pokéfans?
To save you hours of googling, here’s my top 3 recommendations:
#1 - Enjoy The Pokémon Center Yokohama Pokémon Festival
Many visitors to Japan hit up Pokémon Centers in central Tokyo. But there’s hidden treasures to be explored only an hour away in Yokohama. In fact, at this very moment you can enjoy a special Golden Week event, making Yokohama THE center to visit!
The Pokémon Center Yokohama is holding a festival between April 29th and May 7th. It’s free to attend and full of unique activities like a special Pokémon stamp rally, unique photo events, and special in-store mini-games which reward players with special merchandise from the Pokémon center.
Find out details about the event, check out the official home page of Sky Building, home of The Pokémon Center Yokohama.
#2 - Gaze In Awe At Local Pokémon Art In Kanagawa
The National Craft Museum in Kanagwa, Japan has organized a special exhibition between March 21 and June 11 of Pokémon art made using traditional Japanese craft techniques. This exhibition is a great way to enjoy a unique Pokémon experience during Golden Week, and an opportunity to explore the beautiful, historically rich city of Kanazawa.
Check out photos of some of the stunning art on display here, and book tickets via the museum website. Golden Week gets really busy, so best to book ASAP.
#3 - Feast At The Pokémon Cafe
Still hungry for more Pokémon action? If you’re in Japan during Golden Week 2023 then you must try and visit the Pokémon Cafe. It’s the perfect place to enjoy Pokémon-themed food that tastes and looks out of this world.
Right now, the Nihonbashi restaurant in Tokyo and Shinsaibashi restaurant in Osaka are serving special Scarlet and Violet starter Pokémon soda floats, and Pokémon-themed Chinese food. I’m literally drooling like a Gloom just looking at the pictures.
There’s plenty more on the food and drink menu too, as well as special Pokémon merchandise that’s only available in the restaurants.
This is just a taste of what’s on offer during Golden Week this year. To stay up to date with the latest Pokémon news coming from Japan, including tourist activities, be sure to subscribe to this newsletter:
🧸 Merch Alert
Toymaker, Taka Tomy Arts, is releasing special Pokémon figures for gatcha machines across Japan.
The figures are adorable versions of Pokémon, like Quagsire and Togepi, who have slumped to the right asleep, as if they’re snoozing on your shoulder.
To get your hands on one of these, you’ll need to track down a gatcha machine that sells them somewhere in Japan. Gatcha is the Japanese word for capsule toy vending machines that spit out toys when you put money in them and twist a handle. The word gatcha is onomatopoeia in Japanese for the sound that the machines make as you twist the handle.
🥸 Who’s that Pokémon?
We’ll share the answer and a new Poké-puzzle in next week’s newsletter. If you think you know the answer, hit reply to this email and let me know.
* the answer to last week’s puzzle is🥁🥁🥁Porygon2!
That’s all folks
See you next week for another roundup of the latest Poké-news from Japan and around the world.
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Nice, thanks!
Those sleeping Pokémon are beyond cute, especially the Togepi.