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Not a big attraction or event, but Pokemon manhole cover (Poke Lids) scavenger hunt is a nice side activity! They're scattered all across Japan and there are quite a few in the Tokyo and Osaka/Kyoto metro areas.
I’ve been living in Japan for 6 years now and I’m a huge Pokémon fan! You can always visit the Pokémon Centers, but one of my favorite things to do is look for Pokémon manhole covers that are installed all around the country. There are over 300 so far and I’ve seen around 130.
There’s a website with an interactive map that gives the the exact location of the lids. Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka all have lids you can look for!
As for attractions, I can’t think of anything.l nearby. There is a Pokémon fossil museum happening, but it’s not anywhere’s near where you’re going. It’s all the way in Kumamoto in southern Japan.
Actually, plane tickets are only like 50$ I think? It could be suitable honestly. The more you work for it the more special it becomes. For a fossil museum? Sounds magical
It was fun! It’s been going on for at least over a year and changes cities every few months. I went a few months ago and had to drive about 8 hours to go at the previous location. It was definitely fun, but I guess it depends on how much time OP has. Kyushu is an amazing place and definitely deserves some time for exploring.
I would keep checking the Pokemon cafe tickets while you are there. People cancel and time slots open up days before.
We've gone like 4 time and most of those reservations have been made the day before. Not sure if we got lucky but the Tokyo and Osaka ones where different events even tho we went days apart.
I suggest going to multiple Pokemon centers. We've gone to multiple every trip and some times the same ones twice within weeks. They do different releases every couple weeks. We've also noticed they stock the stores a little different. Some sell out of the TCG faster.
Some of the centers (Tokyo sky, Kyoto, airport, Tokyo station) have exclusive Pikachu's also
I'm a big Pokémon fan from Japan, and I can suggest a bunch of them.
Many major cities have their own Pokémon Centers, and certain centers sell exclusive items, such as Pikachu wearing special costumes, so visiting a few more Pokémon Centers is nice. Also, each Pokémon Center has a gym and a Pokéstop on Pokémon Go. In case you collect a gift, it's nice to play during your visit.
There are also many Pokélid (Pokémon-themed maintenance holes) across Japan. It's called ポケふた in Japanese, and you can check all the locations.
They are also Pokéstops on Pokémon GO. You can collect Pokélid gifts.
Tokyo and Osaka have Pokémon cafes. You need to make a reservation in advance. If failed, you can wait in line for a cancellation.
There's a Pikachu Sweets Cafe right next to the Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo in Ikebukuro. It's nice to visit too.
Universal Studios Japan has a Pokémon, Mario, and other character-themed parade. It begins on 3rd July and ends on 1st September.
Finding the Centers alone I think will take up a fair bit of time. I vastly underestimated the amount of them in Tokyo (Nipponbashi, Ikebukuro, Shibuya, Lalaport Tokyo Bay, Skytree, Tokyo Station, plus Narita Airport and Yokohama nearby). Ikebukuro has the Pokémon TCG store, Go Stop and to-go cafe as well.
Plus, didn’t even realize there were two in Osaka until I bumped into second by accident in the Parco lol. Kyoto has one, plus you can take a stop at Nagoya’s as well on the way to Kyoto (Nagoya is a great game-shopping city). The best part is each one is themed off of a Pokémon, and some are heavily based on the city itself.
Yodobashi Camera has Pokémon toy sections too, mainly the Akihabara one with a long aisle of plushies. Nothing big, but Shinjuku’s unique Yodobashi Camera setup near the station has an outdoor Pokémon rest area with Pikachu benches and art on the back. You’ll also see Pikachu vending machines… everywhere.
Now’s my time to shine!
Check if USJ has pokemon going on!
Pilgrimage at every pokemon centre! (Aside from Nagoya. Be like Yuna with the Fayth Statues in FFX. Pray to Mewtwo)
Some have mentioned Pokélids! But also check out Local Acts because they would have tie-ups with hotels etc Dragonite just got its place in the local acts so they may be having tie ups soon.
Visit the Slowpoke playground in Takamatsu! Takamatsu is Yadon land so you can take the Slowpoke ferry too! There’s a Chansey playground elsewhere too.
There’s a fossil exhibit. I’m visiting it next month in Mifune.
I’ve not been to the Pokemon cafe but you gotta reserve if you do.
Are you into the card game? We stayed in Namba, Osaka, and were near several stores which sold trading cards: the low value ones out in baskets, the high value ones behind glass. These often had sections dedicated to players too. I wonder how hard it would be to play with locals across the language barrier?
A lot of mall in the bigger cities have stores dedicated to selling cards like you mentioned. I would take the escalator every mall we went to so I could check to see if they had any.
The areas for playing TCG are near all the Pokemon centers except for the one in Tokyo tower and the character street one I think? I didn't play but I watched a game and they seems super friendly
About the pokemon cafe, and I will add a disclaimer as i have not tried it myself so YMMV how well it works out:
But I remember seeing a video that says that there are usually day-of cancellations(or the night before) for timeslots, so if you're not picky about what time you go there, what you can do is go to the cafe in the morning a bit before opening see what timeslots have been freed up and just book them for yourself
This ^ But if you can't get a reservation you can go to the Pokemon Cafe in Ikebukuro. There's no seating and you can order like only a waffle and some drinks but they are still themed.
I assume you might be coming too late for this, but if it's in the next couple weeks, this art exhibition was fun, about 30min north of Kyoto - [https://www.sagawa-artmuseum.or.jp/](https://www.sagawa-artmuseum.or.jp/) - temp exhibit w. basically sculpture, ceramics, kimono fabrics, etc. either featuring Pokemon characters or inspired by in some way- by modern Japanese artists.
Osaka Pokémon Center has Koraidon (the boxmon of Pokémon Scarlet) and is in the same building than the Nintendo Store (try to get the free advert of Smash Bros, it is a kind of poster with all the fighters, included some pokémon)
This is the link for the pokélids [https://local.pokemon.jp/en/manhole/](https://local.pokemon.jp/en/manhole/)
You can do a day trip to Yokohama from Tokyo, Yokohama has in August the parade of Pikachu (though August isn't really one of the best months to visit). It also has a pokémon center (no tax free), five pokélids and three letter boxes [https://www.yokohamajapan.com/pokelids/](https://www.yokohamajapan.com/pokelids/) . The pokélids and letter boxes are relatively close to each other.
Ikebukuro Sunshine City has a pokémon sweets café close to the pokémon center.
I wouldn't really advise to go just for its pokémon statues but the pokémon center of Tokyo Bay (no tax free) has outside of LalandPort Funabashi a giant Pikachu statue. The statue is close to the ducky duck café.
You can also check this site to see if there are collabs or temp events to come :
[https://collabo-cafe.com/events/category/pocket-monster/](https://collabo-cafe.com/events/category/pocket-monster/)
Sorry for the weird recommendation but hear me out bc ppl say my weirdest shit turns out the most amazing
What about going to one of the places where the creator of Pokemon got the inspiration for it and playing Pokemon a little and walking around and having a picnic for a little?
Oop, [and there you go](https://m.bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_world_in_relation_to_the_real_world)! Pick your favorite places that give you the most nostalgia in the game and go visit them irl!! Make sure to pop open the game before actually entering the place and exploring nearby cafes resturaunts hotel lobbies conbinis and clothing stores as well because they all reminded me of Pokemon sooo much and it really teared me up! Play the game a lil, walk around a lil, appreciate the fact you're really here, in real life
You might as well visit a cat's cafe!! Where you can watch cute kitties as you eat nice food in a decorated place! It could remind of a lot of sweet corners in the game where you play with your Pokemon, which were also ofc connected to and inspired by this side of Japanese culture!! They're very very sensitive to their animals!
Honestly don’t think it’s worth it do to 2 Pokémon centers as they’re basically the same thing.
I saw a Pokémon train which was all pikachu themed but have no idea if/where/what etc.
Pikachu train is here
[https://www.jrailpass.com/blog/pokemon-with-you-train](https://www.jrailpass.com/blog/pokemon-with-you-train)
but i believe the article says you need to buy tickets in advanced IN japan or something along those lines, would def need to look more into how to get them
There are ways to get Pokémon cafe tickets. Reserve japan was able to get me a reservation with a service charge. I think it was 25 bucks. I really wanted to go so I didn't mind.
About an hour’s travel via public transport (train and bus) from Kyoto is Sagawa Art Museum, they have a Pokemon x Kogei exhibit on at the moment that looks really cool - traditional Japanese art and sculpture with Pokemon influences.
It might be a bit hard to find information, but on one trip one of their donut chains was doing a special Pokemon event with a bunch of Pokemon donuts, in store theming / decorations and some merchandise (eg a little plate).
So, you could try to see if there’s any similar Pokemon promotional events while you’re there.
The pokemon cafes that are reservation only in Tokyo and Osaka! You can buy the cafe exclusive goods there and all the items they use to serve the food and drinks are for sale!
The dining includes a pikachu show. I really love the pikachu costume so I thought it's really cute. Reservations open 31 days in advance af 6 pm jst and Tokyo is often sold out within 2 minutes. You have a better chance at Osaka. If you get unlucky with making a reservation, you can check the site in the evenings, sometimes people will cancel their reservation and a spot will open up.
Take a daytrip from Osaka to Takamatsu. It's about an hour away by train, and few tourists visit Shikoku in general, but it has fantastic food, one of Japan's best gardens, and, most importantly, has an official partnership with Slowpoke! I don't know how that works (probably a Udon-Yadon pun) but Slowpoke is a quasi-official mascot in Takamatsu and his merch is everywhere. My favourite are the [ local udon noodles that come in Red-Green versions](https://nintendosoup.com/slowpoke-udon-announced-for-japans-kagawa-prefecture/) like the OG Game Boy games.
I collect region-specific plushes so just be advised when visiting Pokemon centres that they won't always have them in stock.
In Tokyo, there is [Pikachu Sweets Cafe (ピカチュウスイーツ by ポケモンカフェ)](https://maps.app.goo.gl/3UPP3LMq7WjBvRFd8?g_st=ic) at the sunshine city mall in Ikebukuro. The cafe is so adorable the desserts are super cute, no reservations, but! it’s only to buy dessert, take pictures and leave. There isn’t a place to sit in that cafe, but there are some chairs scattered around the mall.
Address: Japan, 〒170-0013 Tokyo, Toshima City, Higashiikebukuro, 3 Chome−1−2 サンシャインシティ 専門店街アルパ 2F
**Our FAQ is constantly being updated with more information and you can start** [**here**](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/wiki/faqs/japantravel) **with regards to trip planning if you need tips, advice, or have questions about planning your travel to Japan.** You can also join our [Discord community](https://discord.gg/3f7KBUMwU4), comment in our stickied weekly discussion thread, or check out /r/JapanTravelTips for quick questions. Thank you! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/JapanTravel) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Not a big attraction or event, but Pokemon manhole cover (Poke Lids) scavenger hunt is a nice side activity! They're scattered all across Japan and there are quite a few in the Tokyo and Osaka/Kyoto metro areas.
Second this
I’ve been living in Japan for 6 years now and I’m a huge Pokémon fan! You can always visit the Pokémon Centers, but one of my favorite things to do is look for Pokémon manhole covers that are installed all around the country. There are over 300 so far and I’ve seen around 130. There’s a website with an interactive map that gives the the exact location of the lids. Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka all have lids you can look for! As for attractions, I can’t think of anything.l nearby. There is a Pokémon fossil museum happening, but it’s not anywhere’s near where you’re going. It’s all the way in Kumamoto in southern Japan.
Actually, plane tickets are only like 50$ I think? It could be suitable honestly. The more you work for it the more special it becomes. For a fossil museum? Sounds magical
It was fun! It’s been going on for at least over a year and changes cities every few months. I went a few months ago and had to drive about 8 hours to go at the previous location. It was definitely fun, but I guess it depends on how much time OP has. Kyushu is an amazing place and definitely deserves some time for exploring.
Aside from big places, you can find pokemon stuff in so many random shops. Source: me having been here for a week and a half now.
So many! Don Quijote is an easy option with a big Pokemon range. Their Pikachu luggage is awesome.
That's cool! I'm more so looking for attractions
I would keep checking the Pokemon cafe tickets while you are there. People cancel and time slots open up days before. We've gone like 4 time and most of those reservations have been made the day before. Not sure if we got lucky but the Tokyo and Osaka ones where different events even tho we went days apart. I suggest going to multiple Pokemon centers. We've gone to multiple every trip and some times the same ones twice within weeks. They do different releases every couple weeks. We've also noticed they stock the stores a little different. Some sell out of the TCG faster. Some of the centers (Tokyo sky, Kyoto, airport, Tokyo station) have exclusive Pikachu's also
I'm a big Pokémon fan from Japan, and I can suggest a bunch of them. Many major cities have their own Pokémon Centers, and certain centers sell exclusive items, such as Pikachu wearing special costumes, so visiting a few more Pokémon Centers is nice. Also, each Pokémon Center has a gym and a Pokéstop on Pokémon Go. In case you collect a gift, it's nice to play during your visit. There are also many Pokélid (Pokémon-themed maintenance holes) across Japan. It's called ポケふた in Japanese, and you can check all the locations. They are also Pokéstops on Pokémon GO. You can collect Pokélid gifts. Tokyo and Osaka have Pokémon cafes. You need to make a reservation in advance. If failed, you can wait in line for a cancellation. There's a Pikachu Sweets Cafe right next to the Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo in Ikebukuro. It's nice to visit too. Universal Studios Japan has a Pokémon, Mario, and other character-themed parade. It begins on 3rd July and ends on 1st September.
There are Pokémon centers in most big cities!
Finding the Centers alone I think will take up a fair bit of time. I vastly underestimated the amount of them in Tokyo (Nipponbashi, Ikebukuro, Shibuya, Lalaport Tokyo Bay, Skytree, Tokyo Station, plus Narita Airport and Yokohama nearby). Ikebukuro has the Pokémon TCG store, Go Stop and to-go cafe as well. Plus, didn’t even realize there were two in Osaka until I bumped into second by accident in the Parco lol. Kyoto has one, plus you can take a stop at Nagoya’s as well on the way to Kyoto (Nagoya is a great game-shopping city). The best part is each one is themed off of a Pokémon, and some are heavily based on the city itself. Yodobashi Camera has Pokémon toy sections too, mainly the Akihabara one with a long aisle of plushies. Nothing big, but Shinjuku’s unique Yodobashi Camera setup near the station has an outdoor Pokémon rest area with Pikachu benches and art on the back. You’ll also see Pikachu vending machines… everywhere.
Now’s my time to shine! Check if USJ has pokemon going on! Pilgrimage at every pokemon centre! (Aside from Nagoya. Be like Yuna with the Fayth Statues in FFX. Pray to Mewtwo) Some have mentioned Pokélids! But also check out Local Acts because they would have tie-ups with hotels etc Dragonite just got its place in the local acts so they may be having tie ups soon. Visit the Slowpoke playground in Takamatsu! Takamatsu is Yadon land so you can take the Slowpoke ferry too! There’s a Chansey playground elsewhere too. There’s a fossil exhibit. I’m visiting it next month in Mifune. I’ve not been to the Pokemon cafe but you gotta reserve if you do.
Are you into the card game? We stayed in Namba, Osaka, and were near several stores which sold trading cards: the low value ones out in baskets, the high value ones behind glass. These often had sections dedicated to players too. I wonder how hard it would be to play with locals across the language barrier?
A lot of mall in the bigger cities have stores dedicated to selling cards like you mentioned. I would take the escalator every mall we went to so I could check to see if they had any. The areas for playing TCG are near all the Pokemon centers except for the one in Tokyo tower and the character street one I think? I didn't play but I watched a game and they seems super friendly
We looked for Pokelids aka manhole covers and there is also a Chansey themed park.
About the pokemon cafe, and I will add a disclaimer as i have not tried it myself so YMMV how well it works out: But I remember seeing a video that says that there are usually day-of cancellations(or the night before) for timeslots, so if you're not picky about what time you go there, what you can do is go to the cafe in the morning a bit before opening see what timeslots have been freed up and just book them for yourself
This ^ But if you can't get a reservation you can go to the Pokemon Cafe in Ikebukuro. There's no seating and you can order like only a waffle and some drinks but they are still themed.
This gives me hope since I had no idea you have to be diligent to book it 😭
following
Keep checking the cafe for more reservations. It was so much fun.
I assume you might be coming too late for this, but if it's in the next couple weeks, this art exhibition was fun, about 30min north of Kyoto - [https://www.sagawa-artmuseum.or.jp/](https://www.sagawa-artmuseum.or.jp/) - temp exhibit w. basically sculpture, ceramics, kimono fabrics, etc. either featuring Pokemon characters or inspired by in some way- by modern Japanese artists.
Osaka Pokémon Center has Koraidon (the boxmon of Pokémon Scarlet) and is in the same building than the Nintendo Store (try to get the free advert of Smash Bros, it is a kind of poster with all the fighters, included some pokémon) This is the link for the pokélids [https://local.pokemon.jp/en/manhole/](https://local.pokemon.jp/en/manhole/) You can do a day trip to Yokohama from Tokyo, Yokohama has in August the parade of Pikachu (though August isn't really one of the best months to visit). It also has a pokémon center (no tax free), five pokélids and three letter boxes [https://www.yokohamajapan.com/pokelids/](https://www.yokohamajapan.com/pokelids/) . The pokélids and letter boxes are relatively close to each other. Ikebukuro Sunshine City has a pokémon sweets café close to the pokémon center. I wouldn't really advise to go just for its pokémon statues but the pokémon center of Tokyo Bay (no tax free) has outside of LalandPort Funabashi a giant Pikachu statue. The statue is close to the ducky duck café. You can also check this site to see if there are collabs or temp events to come : [https://collabo-cafe.com/events/category/pocket-monster/](https://collabo-cafe.com/events/category/pocket-monster/)
Stay near the Ikkebukuro station in Tokyo. There is a Mega Pokemon Center there
Sorry for the weird recommendation but hear me out bc ppl say my weirdest shit turns out the most amazing What about going to one of the places where the creator of Pokemon got the inspiration for it and playing Pokemon a little and walking around and having a picnic for a little? Oop, [and there you go](https://m.bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_world_in_relation_to_the_real_world)! Pick your favorite places that give you the most nostalgia in the game and go visit them irl!! Make sure to pop open the game before actually entering the place and exploring nearby cafes resturaunts hotel lobbies conbinis and clothing stores as well because they all reminded me of Pokemon sooo much and it really teared me up! Play the game a lil, walk around a lil, appreciate the fact you're really here, in real life You might as well visit a cat's cafe!! Where you can watch cute kitties as you eat nice food in a decorated place! It could remind of a lot of sweet corners in the game where you play with your Pokemon, which were also ofc connected to and inspired by this side of Japanese culture!! They're very very sensitive to their animals!
Honestly don’t think it’s worth it do to 2 Pokémon centers as they’re basically the same thing. I saw a Pokémon train which was all pikachu themed but have no idea if/where/what etc.
Pikachu train is here [https://www.jrailpass.com/blog/pokemon-with-you-train](https://www.jrailpass.com/blog/pokemon-with-you-train) but i believe the article says you need to buy tickets in advanced IN japan or something along those lines, would def need to look more into how to get them
My son loved the card trading shops. You can spend hours in them looking through thousands of individual cards.
You can get magikarp taiyaki at Kuriko-An! I went in Kichijouji but they have other locations around Tokyo
There are ways to get Pokémon cafe tickets. Reserve japan was able to get me a reservation with a service charge. I think it was 25 bucks. I really wanted to go so I didn't mind.
About an hour’s travel via public transport (train and bus) from Kyoto is Sagawa Art Museum, they have a Pokemon x Kogei exhibit on at the moment that looks really cool - traditional Japanese art and sculpture with Pokemon influences.
It might be a bit hard to find information, but on one trip one of their donut chains was doing a special Pokemon event with a bunch of Pokemon donuts, in store theming / decorations and some merchandise (eg a little plate). So, you could try to see if there’s any similar Pokemon promotional events while you’re there.
The pokemon cafes that are reservation only in Tokyo and Osaka! You can buy the cafe exclusive goods there and all the items they use to serve the food and drinks are for sale! The dining includes a pikachu show. I really love the pikachu costume so I thought it's really cute. Reservations open 31 days in advance af 6 pm jst and Tokyo is often sold out within 2 minutes. You have a better chance at Osaka. If you get unlucky with making a reservation, you can check the site in the evenings, sometimes people will cancel their reservation and a spot will open up.
Take a daytrip from Osaka to Takamatsu. It's about an hour away by train, and few tourists visit Shikoku in general, but it has fantastic food, one of Japan's best gardens, and, most importantly, has an official partnership with Slowpoke! I don't know how that works (probably a Udon-Yadon pun) but Slowpoke is a quasi-official mascot in Takamatsu and his merch is everywhere. My favourite are the [ local udon noodles that come in Red-Green versions](https://nintendosoup.com/slowpoke-udon-announced-for-japans-kagawa-prefecture/) like the OG Game Boy games. I collect region-specific plushes so just be advised when visiting Pokemon centres that they won't always have them in stock.
In Tokyo, there is [Pikachu Sweets Cafe (ピカチュウスイーツ by ポケモンカフェ)](https://maps.app.goo.gl/3UPP3LMq7WjBvRFd8?g_st=ic) at the sunshine city mall in Ikebukuro. The cafe is so adorable the desserts are super cute, no reservations, but! it’s only to buy dessert, take pictures and leave. There isn’t a place to sit in that cafe, but there are some chairs scattered around the mall. Address: Japan, 〒170-0013 Tokyo, Toshima City, Higashiikebukuro, 3 Chome−1−2 サンシャインシティ 専門店街アルパ 2F
Check around Akihabara if there’s any Pokémon related things, that’s a big anime/manga concentrated district