Gotta visit 'em all: Pokémon's first full theme park to open in Tokyo in 2026 (VIDEO)
Japan has welcomed a record influx of visitors in recent months, boosting demand for tourist attractions, including a 'Making of Harry Potter' film-studio park that opened in Tokyo in 2023.
Named 'PokePark Kanto,' the new 2.6-hectare area will be located within Yomiuri Land, the Japanese capital's largest amusement park, the company said yesterday.
'We want to create a space where Pokémon are always present and where people can have fun with them,' its chief creative fellow Junichi Masuda said in a video announcement.
The park will have two areas: a Pokémon 'forest' described as a 'spacious wilderness' and an area for shopping and rides.
Pokémon became a global hit after its 1996 launch as a role-playing game for Nintendo's handheld Game Boy console.
Inspired by the Japanese summer childhood tradition of bug-collecting, players catch and train in battle hundreds of round-eyed 'pocket monsters' inspired by everything from mice to dragons.
The franchise also includes movies, an animated TV show, and the 'Pokémon Go' augmented-reality mobile game. — AFP
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