Playing Pokemon Go on My Trip to Japan in 2022

I headed to Japan for a long overdue visit when the country reopened its borders to tourists in October of 2022.  I arrived in Japan at the end of November and there were already plenty of tourists, although the big crowds were always only around the major tourist sites. While I traveled through Tokyo, Yokohama, Kyoto, and Osaka I played Pokemon Go and sent plenty of presents to my in-game friends.

I always find it a bit of a thrill to play Pokemon Go in the homeland of the Pokemon franchise and love seeing all of the pokestops and gyms at famous locations both modern and historical and real world Pokemon Center stores.  There were way more Pokemeon themed stops and gyms on this trip as there are many more Pokemon Centers and attractions now.  

You can see the Pokemon Go highlights of an earlier trip to Japan here.

Highlights From My Japan Trip Visiting Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka in December 2022

Pokemon Raid!

You go to Japan to enjoy the experience of a different culture in all aspects such as food, pop culture like anime, history in both museums and historic sites, and even traditional arts and crafts.  Even traveling around can be a great deal of fun (its the atmosphere you are soaking in).  Pokemon Go is a nice way to get into Japanese gaming culture that is accessible to anyone with a smartphone. 

Pokemon Go is a mobile game that uses augmented reality technology to allow players to capture, battle, and train virtual creatures, called Pokemon, who appear throughout the real world. Players use their smartphone's GPS and camera to locate, track, and capture Pokemon, and can also compete against other players in gyms located at real-world locations. The game was developed by Niantic and released in 2016. It quickly became a global phenomenon, with millions of players exploring their neighborhoods and cities to catch Pokemon.

Playing Pokemon Go in Japan can be a unique and exciting experience. Japan is known for its strong Pokemon culture, and the game is very popular there. There are many places in Japan where players can find a high concentration of Pokemon, such as parks, tourist spots, and Shinto shrines. In addition, Japan has many "Pokestops" and "Gyms", which are real-world locations where players can collect items and battle other players.

It's worth noting that Pokemon Go in Japan is also unique in the sense that players can find special regional Pokemon that can't be found anywhere else in the world (such as Farfetch'd).  Playing the game can be a fun and exciting way to explore the country and discover new places, while also catching rare and powerful Pokemon.  My first Snorlax was actually caught in Japan as it was so rare where I lived at the time (it is way more common now).

Thundershock Pikachu at the Ikebukuro Pokemon Center.

In the urban areas of the major cities there are higher densities of pokestops and around core central areas or major hubs there can be incredible densities in stops and gyms.  I have a small set of in-game map images I'll share in this post to give you an idea of what this is like.

Pokemon Go gyms are typically located at landmarks, monuments, and other notable locations in the real world, such as statues, public art, and historical buildings. A few examples in Tokyo would be the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, Meiji Shrine, Tokyo Tower, Tokyo Skytree, etc.  When a player enters a gym controlled by another team, they can challenge the Pokemon stationed there by selecting a team of their own Pokemon to battle. The team that defeats the gym leader's Pokemon will take control of the gym and can then station their own Pokemon there. Players can also earn rewards, such as coins and stardust, for training at and defending friendly gyms. Due to the high traffic of players, gyms can change hands quite frequently, and it's common to find gyms with different teams controlling it within a short period of time.  Raids in these areas are often not short of players either!

Sunshine City Pokestops and Gyms.  There is a Pokemon Center here and a Pokemon Go store here too.

The densities of stops and gyms in some places make it very hard to see the Pokemon on the map or to even select the correct stop!  I kind of wish I had this problem at home.  You can also see how some people could actually spin the maximum number of stops in a day in some of these places.

Shibuya Pokestops and Gyms.  The cluster of 4 gyms at the top left is the Shibuya Parco with the Pokemon Center.

Pokemon Centers are official retail stores in Japan that specialize in merchandise related to the Pokemon franchise, including the popular mobile game Pokemon Go. These stores sell a wide variety of products, including plushies, figures, clothing, and other merchandise featuring popular Pokemon characters.  Most Pokemon Centers have a gym and one or two more pokestops associated with them too!

The first Pokemon Center store opened in Japan in 1998, and there are now many locations across the country, including in Tokyo, Osaka, Yokohama, Kyoto, and many more. Tokyo has five that I can name off the top of my head. In addition to physical merchandise, Pokemon Centers also offer various services, such as Pokemon-themed cafes, where customers can enjoy food and drinks featuring Pokemon characters, and opportunities to see and take photos with life-size statues of Pokemon characters. Pokemon Center stores in Japan are popular not only among Pokemon fans, but also among tourists visiting Japan, as they offer a chance to purchase exclusive and rare merchandise that can't be found elsewhere.

Osaka Umeda Sky Building (Kuchu Teien Observatory) Pokestops and Gyms.  This is about 10 minute walk from Osaka Station City 

It was fun doing raids and I hit some special raid days for mega evolutions while I was in Yokohama and then a very busy raid hour in Dotonbori in Osaka.  Lots of players were active from around the world. When I was raiding in Yokohama near the World Porters / Landmark tower area, there were a couple of dozen gyms you could raid at in person or remotely.  It was nuts and I even had a friend from back home in a totally different timezone raid with me!  I did six raids, getting one of each of the new mega evolutions and then called it quits as I was there to see other things in Japan!

Osaka Station City Mall at Osaka Station with the Pokemon Center at the Daimaru.

Funny thing about this trip was that I ran into Pokemon Centers when I wasn't even looking for them.  Both of the Pokemon Centers in Osaka were surprises for me as I wasn't going to visit them and I just ran into them while I was in those areas.  Since I was there, I visited the stores and took pics of the Pokemon Statues.

The famous Shinjuku battleground with gyms and Pokestops so tightly packed that you can barely see the ground.  This is outside the Yodobashi Camera on the west side of Shinjuku Station.

I was actually also looking for some of the new regionals in Japan and I caught the Oricorio twice, and never did catch the other flower Pokemon as it kept appearing the radar just too far away for me to want to walk to it.  The regionals were actually relatively rare, so if you get the opportunity to catch one, don't waste it (unless it is a hassle to do so like in my case).

Japanese regional.

That's it for now, I hope you enjoyed the Pokemon Go in Japan overview!

 

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