PokePark Kanto, the first-ever permanent outdoor attraction in the monster-catching Pokemon franchise, is set to open on Feb. 5 as a new area of the Yomiuriland amusement park located in Tokyo’s verdant Tama Hills region.
Spanning 26,000 square meters and boasting depictions of more than 600 Pokemon strewn around the area’s greenery and attractions, PokePark Kanto is named after the setting of the first generation of games originally released in the mid-1990s, which is in turn inspired by the real-world Kanto region.
In PokePark’s Entrance Plaza, visitors will be welcomed by life-size statues of Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle, the starter trio of critters from Pokemon Red and Blue, the franchise’s first games released in 1996. After guests gear up at the Research Lab (which doubles as a ticket gate), they will step into the park proper as Trainers (no word yet on whether the Pokemon series’ encyclopedia-like Pokedex will make up part of the entry process).
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