After we've seen Super Mario and even the Minions immortalized at theme parks, I’ve always wondered why Pokémon hasn't received the same treatment. We all know Pokémon is massive. I imagine children to adults all over the world would likely love to visit the world of Pokémon for real — and maybe not ever leave. I’m one of them! Finally, during Pokémon’s 30th Anniversary year, PokéPark KANTO is permanently opening in Yomiuriland Amusement Park just outside of Tokyo, Japan. And I’m one of the very, very lucky few who got to explore the park before its official opening on February 6, 2026.
As we visited well before opening day, I’m not able to share the superfluous number of photos and videos I took, but I can tell you all about my experience and a little of what to expect in PokéPark KANTO. Again, the park wasn’t in operating order, so the rides, shows, music, game booths, and food offerings weren’t available. But honestly, I wouldn’t say any of that is the draw of PokéPark KANTO—it’s simply exploring a space with more than 600 life-sized Pokémon.
PokéPark KANTO is mainly split up between two areas–Pokémon Forest, which is essentially a trail in a woodland inhabited by life-sized Pokémon statues meant to emulate living Pokémon; and Sedge Town, a small collection of buildings and stalls meant to look like what a town within the Pokémon world would look like, also inhabited by life-sized Pokémon statues. These statues don’t move, but they are amazing to spot around the area and are clearly made with care.
[Before we continue, note I won’t be going into exact detail about what I experienced like which Pokémon I saw where, as I’d like to preserve the magic for anyone planning on making a visit. However, I will confirm you absolutely will see Pokémon from every generation!]
You absolutely will see Pokémon from every generation.I love hiking in nature, so I would have enjoyed a stroll in the Pokémon Forest regardless if it was enhanced even further by the life-sized Pokémon replicas sprinkled throughout the environment. This isn’t just a nature walk with a small handful of statues to be on the lookout for, though. The park designers didn’t hold back—Pokémon filled just about every open space, meticulously placed among trees, in half-dug holes, around blooming flowers, and more, with a huge variety of poses and expressions. There’s a lot of intention about where the Pokémon are placed and what they’re doing. Pay attention, and you’ll notice little stories and interactions happening between them.
Our group arrived at Yomiuriland on a cold, dreary, January afternoon, but that didn’t dampen the enthusiasm a single bit. Just about everyone gasped with delight as soon as the first official area inside Pokémon Forest came into view, brought to life with Pokémon and a habitat slightly enhanced by strategically “planted” faux vegetation. The path wound between different unique areas, aptly named things like “Pikachu and Eevee Forest” and “Ryhorn’s Take Down Hill,” and each new area captivated me just as much as the next. I couldn’t stop smiling as I wandered, taking pictures of and with the Pokemon. There were even Trainer’s Tips signs in both Japanese and English, which only added to the amusement.
How Strenuous is PokéPark KANTO’s Pokémon Forest, Really?
Previously, IGN reported on some pretty strict PokéPark KANTO's Pokémon Forest safety rules that bars people who can’t walk up 110 steps without help, children under 5-years-old, pregnant people, and more, from entering Pokémon Forest specifically. Looking at my phone’s data, I took about 1,500 steps between the beginning of the Pokémon Forest path to the entrance of Sedge Town, and the official website says the trail is about 1,600 feet long. My group happily spent a very meandering 30 minutes on this path, where we had to be ushered on to continue by staff. It wasn’t arduous, in my opinion, as someone who aims to take 8,000 steps a day (and fails to take the time to do that as often as I’d like). Some parts of Pokémon Forest did have some relatively steep stairs, a small hill to climb, and grassy footpaths, making it unfortunately not a very accessibility-friendly area. It also had some tripping hazards. I’m notoriously clumsy and accident-prone and made it out of Pokémon Forest scott-free, besides some dirt on my pants from crouching down to take photos with Pokémon. Halfway through the path, there’s a dedicated area with benches beneath some shade for anyone who needs a rest, too.
This Pokémon Forest is nestled between the Pokémon Research Center (basically the entrance of PokéPark KANTO) and Sedge Town, and it was definitely the highlight of the visit for me.
The Pokémon Forest was definitely the highlight of the visit for me.I do worry about the effect a large crowd would have on this experience, especially. Being surrounded by gaggles of Pokémon in the wild and hordes of people may extract some of the wonder out of it all, as it generally does to most experiences. We know entry is limited to a certain number of people each day, but we still don't know what that number is. A Pokémon Company spokesperson said they have nothing to share on this topic at this time.
Starting this summer, for anyone unable to enter or uninterested in Pokémon Forest, there will be tickets that grant entry only for the accessible Sedge Town, so everyone can still experience some of PokéPark KANTO.
The town itself had plenty of Pokémon scattered around to keep it lively along with activities like rides, games, food stalls, and the promise of entertaining Pokémon Parades and performances.
As you can see inthe Sedge Town slideshow above, the Pokémon Forest path brings you to a fountain “town square” of sorts with a Pokémon Center and PokéMart. The fountain is made up of a Primarina statue and Water-type Starter Pokémon, and though we couldn’t enter the Pokémon Center or PokéMart, I did take a peek inside. The Pokémon Center had a counter just like you would find in a Pokémon game, with a Chansey ready to heal your Pokemon team. The PokéMart had pixelated items you’d usually purchase at a PokéMart in-game, like Potions and Poké Balls, on shelves behind the counter. The official PokéPark KANTO website says the PokéMart is where you can purchase refreshments, and I did see a few bottles of Monin brand flavored syrups, often used to flavor coffee drinks, behind a different part of the counter.
The cute Pokémon-themed stalls weren’t all open, so I can’t say what each of them were for, but staff were training in one with a Diglett, Dugtrio, and Wiglett-themed carnival ring-tossing game I had the chance to try! Another stall showed some PokéPark KANTO exclusive key-chains of Pikachu and Eevee for sale. There was also an Altaria-themed food place, perhaps called "Altaria's Roost," with a small selection of soups (700 yen), baguette sandwiches (1300 yen), and sides— spinach fries with caesar cream sauce (600 yen), and a green fruit and nut kale waffle (900 yen).
The star visual attraction of Sedge Town is the ornate carousel, a ride dubbed Vee Vee Voyage. It wasn’t even operating when I was there, but nonetheless, was a spectacle. It featured both regional forms of Ponyta and Rapidash to ride, Eevee surrounding single-seat seaters attached to balloons, and its Eeveelutions surrounding two seaters. Sorry, Vaporeon is not ridable.
The other ride in Sedge Town is Pika Pika Paradise, another low-adrenaline children’s ride featuring Pikachu “cars” to ride in and all of its “spiritual successors,” like Pachirisu, Dedenne, and even Mimikyu, around as decoration. This one looked similar to Disney World’s Dumbo the Flying Elephant ride, or Universal’s Islands of Adventure’s One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish ride, but on a smaller scale. Of course, neither of those have Pikachu.
I envision this part of PokéPark KANTO being lively with actors both in and out of Pokémon costumes performing in the streets in a parade and around the square (I did see them rehearsing a number out of costume!); where you can grab a snack, take a seat and relax, partake in the carnival-style games, or do some light shopping. It’s honestly not a huge area, but there’s enough attention to detail to make it an interesting space to just exist in.
There’s a full-fledged Pokémon Gym down the end of the path in town, too. The entrance has replicas of the iconic vague Pokémon statues at the gyms in-game, which I was so stoked to see. The gym is where there will be Pokémon shows, including a show called Pika Pika Sparks, character meet-and-greets, and potentially more. Again, the attention to detail here is delightful—the seats on the bleachers are numbered, and a Pokémon icon matching that Pokédex entry number accompanies each one, up to 300. Cute!
Of course, there’s a merch shop, called Pokémon Daisuke Shop with items exclusive to PokéPark KANTO, like special Pikachu and Eevee plush, a variety of Pokémon ears to wear, ride-themed tins filled with cookies or tea, and a lot more. The walls of the space are decorated with professional (frankly, incredible) photos of the Pokémon replicas found around the park, and the shop in general felt warm and welcoming. I wish I could have purchased more, but my bank account is grateful I couldn’t.
To access the Pokémon Daisuke Shop, keep in mind patrons will need an additional (free) first-come first-served Limited-Access Ticket, “which can be requested via the official PokéPark KANTO app after entering Yomiuriland,” according to the official website. These tickets are meant to regulate visitor traffic, and sound similar to how The Pokémon Company handles the pop-up Pokémon Centers at the Pokémon World Championships. The Sedge Gym shows and meet-and-greets will also require a Limited-Access Ticket, but these are awarded via a lottery system. Alternatively, an Ace Trainer’s Pass will allow you to view the show from a reserved seating area one time.
PokéPark KANTO isn’t as immersive or high-budget as, say, Super Nintendo World inside Universal’s Epic Universe, but I still had a great time, and that’s keeping in mind I didn’t even experience PokéPark KANTO as fully intended: with music or sound effects or operating rides or shows to schedule around. PokéPark KANTO doesn’t use any perspective tricks to keep it contained within itself, either—I could still see (and hear) the rides of Yomiuriland just beyond the bounds of PokéPark KANTO. The space relied a lot on the preexisting natural settings too, but the fantastically great number of Pokemon statues themselves and the amazing attention to detail still impressed me. And though there’s a lot to see and savor and take in, there aren’t many “star attractions” (besides maybe the shows or parade I didn't see.) The experience itself of being around to-scale Pokémon in what appears to be their natural habitats, and in a real-life Pokémon town complete with a Pokémon Center, PokéMart, and Gym, is the main attraction. I'm confident that if you love Pokémon, PokéPark KANTO will spark a sense of childlike wonder like it did for me, and I was more than happy to spend two hours there. I’m sure with the park open at full operational capacity, too, the experience would have lasted closer to three or four!
For more information on PokéPark KANTO like tickets, location, and more, check out our original PokéPark KANTO announcement story or the official website.
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