Pokemon Center in Tokyo: More popular than Asakusa?
Tokyo MX reports on a ranking of locations in Japan that foreign tourists like to visit:
The top two results, Tsukiji fish market and Tokyo Disneyland, are what Japanese people might expect to find on such a ranking list. The third-ranked location, the Pokemon Center Tokyo, is apparently unexpected.
For one British family shown in the report, their trip to the Pokemon Center was the “main event” of their visit to Japan [is it just me, or do their accents sound totally un-British?]. The Pokemon Center, which sells a variety of Pokemon products that can only be found in Japan, has several English-speaking staff members to assist foreign shoppers.
The Pokemon Center outranked Asakusa and Kinkakuji. More foreign tourists are coming to Japan to experience its anime culture than to visit its ancient shrines and temples!
At the end of the report, one news anchor says he had actually thought Pokemon meant “Pocket Monkeys.” His 5-year-old grandson recently taught him that it was actually “Pocket Monsters.”
- Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
- dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
- Kirainet.com – A geek in Japan (Subscribe)
