Special Activities

Starting in the winter of 2020, the emergence and spread of the novel coronavirus changed our lives completely. Suddenly faced with an uncertain future, we watched events unfold in the news with growing alarm and despair. Almost immediately, The Pokémon Company began thinking about what we could do to bring some cheer back into people’s lives. In June 2020, we assembled a team of employees who shared our desire and vision, and together they set to preparing for the time, after the pandemic, when people will begin traveling freely again. This is how the “Pokémon Air Adventures” got underway. In June 2021, the project achieved its first milestone with the inauguration of flights of the first “Pikachu Jet BC.” In the years ahead, Pikachu Jets will fly to more and more destinations – linking countries, regions and people the world over.
With the power of Pikachu and Friends, we want to connect the world and everyone who loves to travel in it. In collaboration with like-minded partners in this mission, we seek to create a world in which people and places everywhere will be connected and feel connected. Our mission has only just begun. Your warm support will inspire us to create and develop more and more exciting projects like Flying Pikachu.

“POKÉMON with YOU” is a program launched in 2011, mainly by volunteer employees of The Pokémon Company, to support children impacted by the massive earthquake and tsunami disaster that struck the Tohoku region early that year. After conducting related activities for 10 years, in 2021 we newly established the POKÉMON with YOU Foundation in a quest to expand our social contribution activities on a continuing basis, in a way befitting Pokémon. To begin, we expanded our support area beyond Tohoku to include all regions of Japan, and we have also broadened the scope of the program’s activities. For example, we now support the “Kodomo Shokudo” initiative, a voluntary undertaking started spontaneously by the private sector. In recent years the number of Kodomo Shokudo – “Children’s Cafeterias” – have increased rapidly to more than 10,000 nationwide*, and their roles have expanded and grown in importance as bases for conducting regional exchanges. Our task is to help make every Kodomo Shokudo cozy and comfortable for the children who gather there. Working in collaboration with the NPO Musubie and the various regional Kodomo Shokudo networks, besides food serving equipment the POKÉMON with YOU Foundation also provides toys, stationery goods, and other items for kids’ enjoyment. Bringing happy smiles to children’s faces is our greatest motivation.

Imagine how much fun it would be if Pokémon characters suddenly appeared in your local park in the guise of playground equipment! “Lucky Park” is just that kind of place. Located in the town of Namie in Fukushima Prefecture, Lucky Park is Japan’s first Pokémon-themed playground. It’s named after its central figure: Lucky, which is the Japanese name of the Pokémon known in English as Chansey. Lucky was appointed a “Fukushima Support Pokémon” in 2019. It was chosen because Lucky is said to bring happiness, and because the “fuku” in Fukushima means “luck.” Since its designation under a comprehensive partnership agreement concluded between The Pokémon Company and Fukushima Prefecture, Lucky has played a supportive role in publicizing the prefecture’s many attractions. The playground equipment in Lucky Park was designed by The Pokémon Company and donated to Fukushima. Subsequently, Pokémon-themed parks have also been opened in Kagawa, Iwate and other prefectures. Parks are created to provide a happy place not only for children, but also for families and all people from the surrounding area. Nothing brings greater joy than seeing children enjoying themselves in a setting filled with their beloved Pokémon characters. In the years ahead, more and more Pokémon parks will be created around Japan, to bring smiles to the faces of Pokémon-loving children everywhere.

Pokémon Kids TV is Pokémon’s official YouTube channel. Its contents consist mainly of Pokémon songs, children’s songs from around the world, and videos that teach English or promote intellectual growth. We started this service with the hope that Pokémon would be the very first characters that children encounter. In the videos, many different Pokémon characters appear to accompaniment by familiar nursery rhymes such as “London Bridge is Falling Down” and “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” Watching “The Alphabet Song,” children can learn the names of different Pokémon. We will continue to build up a wide choice of content for children to enjoy and learn from.

Pokémon Illustration Lab is a service we started to foster use of Pokémon illustrated materials in educating or caring for young children. More than 100 different materials can be downloaded, free of charge, from our official website: Pokémon illustrations usable as room decorations in public service or medical facilities, for crafting or coloring, posters, etc. The items can be used in many ways, including teaching children good manners and nurturing their creative minds.

Specially designated “Ambassadorial Pokémon” have been created to publicize the special attractions of Japan’s different regions. The aim is to induce Pokémon fans, both within Japan and around the world, to visit those regions and enjoy its charms for themselves. To help achieve this goal, special products of each region are introduced, local products are developed and promoted by “Ambassadorial Pokémon,” and specially wrapped trains and buses are operated. Looking ahead, we will continue working closely with local authorities, strengthening the ties between Pokémon and Japan’s various regions, to provide more and more people with wonderful experiences all around the country.