Thousands of Pikachus Take Over Japanese Streets
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For the past four years, the Minato Mirai district of Yokohama, Japan has been bringing Pokémon’s most famous character to life with a Pikachu Outbreak Festival. The event, which features numerous fun activities, including colorful parades with thousands of people dressed in Pikachu costumes, began in 2014 to promote an upcoming Pokémon movie. It was such a success that its sponsors, the Pokémon Company, decided to make it an annual, week-long extravaganza.
This year’s festival, held from August 9 to 15, had a Brazilian carnival theme and attracted almost two million fans. Entitled “Pikachu Dake Ja Nai Pikachu Tairyo Hasseichu” or “The Not Just Pikachu Pikachu Outbreak,” the event, co-sponsored by Niantic the developer and publisher of mobile game Pokémon Go, was the first of its kind to include other popular Pocket Monsters as well.
The week-long celebration of the electric rodents featured multiple free shows, including a “Pikachu stroll,” where 20 Pikachus departed Queen’s Square Yokohama, swaying side-to-side to a whistle. A welcome addition to this year’s festivities was the “Dripping Wet Splash Show,” which provided both audience and participants with some much-needed relief from the hot sun. 2017 also boasted the largest Pikachu Carnival Parade, where performers and more than 100 Pikachus danced to a Latin-inspired tune.
The highlight of the festival was the opportunity for Pokémon GO Trainers to traverse Yokohama and its beautiful parks and capture over 120 million Pokémon, including over 15 million Pikachus as well as other hard-to-find Pocket Monsters such as Chansey and Larvitar. For a thrilling finale, on August 14, some Pokémon masters teamed up with friends and other players to battle the game’s most valuable character, Mewtwo, at the specially created Pokémon GO park.
The Yokohama Pokémon GO celebration, the largest real-world gaming event yet, was one of many organized by Niantic to celebrate the mobile game’s one-year anniversary. The company has also held successful Pokémon Go Fests in Illinois, Denmark, Prague, Sweden, and the Netherlands, and many more are scheduled in various other European countries before the end of the year.
Resources: Pokemongolive.com,japantimes.co.jp,tourcharade.com,yokohomajapan.com
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2233 Comments
wolfiegamer3about 5 yearsI loved that the performer pikachu s had costumes and my fave Pokemon is eevee comment down and tell me ur fave Pokemon
tourmalineskiesabout 5 yearsme to, i have a lot of fav pokemon- tourmalineskiesabout 5 yearsi have a lot of favs, but my fav legendary is Mew
animereina2021about 5 yearsI have a puppy named Eve! She has a lot of nicknames, and I call her Eevee sometimes! My fav is Pikachu, but I also luv Eevee! I think that Pikachu and Eevee would be perfect for a love story!
bulbavegieabout 5 yearsmy favourite is bulbasaur. hes actually the best kanto starter. my favourite legendary is dialga.
l78about 5 yearsI love pokèmon!!!!! My favourite is Poliwag!!!!!- tourmalineskiesabout 5 yearsMe too!
- tourmalineskiesabout 5 yearsI love Pokemon too!
breeveeabout 5 yearsI love Pokemon my favorite is eevee I love eevee so much I have a bulid -a-bear plushy of eevee- animereina2021about 5 yearsSo cute! I was obsessed with Pokémon when I was a few years younger. I really loved Pikachu and I have my own plushie💕 I watched it all of the time, but that was the past. I would still love to go to Japan and see them😁
chloeparkerover 5 yearsWow i❤ Pokemon 👍& follow me if you do to- chloeparkerover 5 yearsI miss you to guys I'm on the plane home tomorrow see you then? I guess
ashcatchemover 5 yearsI wanna be the very best like no one ever was. To catch them is my real test, to train them is my cause! I will travel across the land, searching far and wide, each Pokemon to understand the power that's inside, Pokemon gotta catch them all! It's you and me, I know it's my Destiny! POKEMON! Oh your my best friend, in a world we must defend, Pokemon gotta catch them all! A heart so true, our courage will pull us through! You teach me and I teach you, Pokemon! Gotta catch them all! (Gotta catch them all!) POKEMON!😎
lenaplayzgamesabout 5 yearsReee it's ash catchem omg i am a huge fan plus i luv ur new movie on Netfilx
- ashcatchemover 5 yearsI wanna be the very best like no one ever was. To catch them is my real test, to train them is my cause! I will travel across the land, searching far and wide, each Pokemon to understand, the power that's inside. Pokemon! Gotta catch them all! It's you and me, I know it's my Destiny! Pokemon oh, your my best friend, in a world we must defend, Pokemon gotta catch them all! A heart so true, our courage will pull us through! You teach me and I teach you, Pokemon gotta catch them all! (Gotta catch them all!) POKEMON!😎
- ashcatchemover 5 yearsHEY! IT'S ME, ASH KETCHUM!😇😅😅 I'm a Pokemon master!😎😎😎😎😎😎😎 wait a minute... Wait what? My best friendPikachu is famous!!!!!😎 go on buddy! I know you can do it! #I wanna be the very best like no one ever was!
- tourmalineskiesabout 5 yearsPikachu! Pika pika!
cr4td4labout 5 yearsPika pikachu! Pika!
pika-chuover 5 yearsPika Pikachu !- ashcatchemabout 5 yearsHey buddy! How are doing Pikachu?
- tourmalineskiesabout 5 yearsPikachu! Pika pika!
cinnamonroll12over 5 yearsIf u know the language of Pikachu u should know what comes next. Pika Pik?