Poketinerary

Among the oddest of the Pokémon experiences you can expect to find in Japan are these Pokémon themed local parks.

These are a series of real world Pokémon themed playgrounds found across Japan. They are free to visit and open to the public.

Their creation was part of regional initiatives, ultimately to promote community engagement as well as tourism. Different prefectures chose a Pokémon and their parks were then designed with the chosen Pokémon in mind.

Perhaps calling them odd was misplaced, given they are not tourist attractions in the traditional sense. Instead, they’re local community parks that incorporate a Pokémon twist. Certainly something most Pokémon fans would find intriguing to see once, and that children would enjoy.

There’s a total of 11 parks with 5 different themed to choose from, across different prefectures, including:

• Chansey’s lucky parks – 4 located in Fukushima prefecture. Bright pink playgrounds featuring Chansey, chosen for its association with happiness and care.
• Geodude parks – 3 located in Iwate prefecture. Rugged, rock themed play areas inspired by Geodude’s typing and the regions landscape.
• Oshawott parks – 2 located in Mie prefecture. Maritime themed playgrounds with slides and aquatic blue equipment, reflecting Oshawotts heritage.
• Slowpoke park – 1 located in Kagawa prefecture. Relaxed, pastel coloured play area reflecting Slowpoke’s laid back persona.
• Sandshrew park – 1 located in tottori prefecture. Featuring large sandboxes and inspired by ground type Pokémon in equipment and colour scheme.

Visiting one of these parks will feel like an entirely different vibe to visiting say a Pokémon Center.

You won’t find queues (unless its for a swing) or crowds, instead you’ll get:

• Tranquil open spaces used by local families.
• Bright and cheerful playground equipment.
• Fun Pokémon ‘statues’.
• A non commercial atmosphere.

The contrast of Pokémon existing in a neighborhood settings is what makes these unique. But at the same time, it feels like something you would definitely expect to find in Japan which just enhances the memorability.

The key question. These parks are located in specific regions rather than in major tourist hubs, which makes them tough to visit unless you happen to be exploring quieter cities or suburban areas.

Chansey’s Parks in Fukushima:

• Namie town: Located at Michi-no-Eki Namie (60 Chimeiji, Kiyohashi, Namie, Futaba District, Fukushima 979-1513).
• Koriyama city: Located within Kaiseisan park (1 Chome-5 Kaisei, Koriyama, Fukushima 963-8851).
• Yanaizu town: Located at Michi-no-Eki Yanaizu (Shitadairaotsu-151 Yanaizu, Kawanuma District, Fukushima 969-7201).
• Showa village: Located at Michi-no-Eki Karamushi Ori-no-Sato Showa (Uenohara-1 Sagura, Showa, Onuma District, Fukushima 968-0215).

Geodude Parks in Iwate:

• Morioka city: Located in Motomiya Hebi-yashiki (Motomiya, Morioka, Iwate 020-0866).
• Kuji city: Located at Michi-no-Eki Iwate Kitasanriku (Natsui-7-122-7 Natsui-cho, Kuji, Iwate 028-0001).
• Kitakami city: Located within Tenshochi Park (Hanechi, Kitakami, Iwate 024-0043).

Oshawott Parks in Mie:

• Toba city: Located at Toba Port Sata Hama Shin Minato Ryokuchi (1 Chome-2383-51 Toba, Mie 517-0011).
• Suzuka city: Located within Daisei Forest Park (Sumiyoshi-cho, Suzuka, Mie 513-0825).

Slowpoke Park in Kagawa:

• Ayagawa town: Located at Hidamari Park Ayagawa (Kayahara, Ayagawa, Ayauta District, Kagawa 761-2304).

Sandshrew Park in Tottori:

• Tottori town: Located at Tottori Sand Dunes Kodomonokuni (144-3 Hamasaka, Tottori, 680-0001).

Visiting these parks works best as:

• A bonus stop if you happen to be exploring one of the specific regions.
• Part of a broad travel itinerary (those going from region to region).

If you are nowhere near any of them, we really wouldn’t recommend going out of your way to visit one. Whilst they offer a cool and unique experience, the amount of effort required for most people is not justifiable (in our opinion).