Originally posted August 7 2014
Don’t worry, it’s not the next bird flu-like epidemic. (Although Pokémon haters might argue that point.) It’s just Japan overdosing on cute. Fans of the chubby mutant rodent will be in their element at this weekend’s Pikachu Tairyo Hassei Chu (An Outbreak of Pikachus), when 1,000 life-sized Pikachus will invade 14 different locations around Yokohama including Minatomirai Station, Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse, Sakuragicho Station and Marine Tower.
The event runs from August 9 to 17 and, although you probably won’t be able to miss the bright yellow bodies, you can check out where exactly to find them on the Pikachu map (only in Japanese). Rumour has it that the Yokohama Marine Tower will also light up in ‘Pikachu colour’. And, of course, there will be a pop-up Pokémon café to add to the atmosphere.
If you do visit Yokohama and need to escape the silliness, check out the Yokohama Triennale art festival – also taking over the city but with creative artworks as opposed to these funny boppers…