PokePark Kanto with Kids: Is It Worth It? (+Tips)

A child standing in front of the PokePark Kanto sign

Last Updated on April 23, 2026 by Kay

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If you are thinking about visiting PokePark Kanto with kids and wondering what it’s like and whether it’s even worth it, I’ve got you. My daughter is absolutely obsessed with Pokémon, so the news about a park opening dedicated to these capsule monsters was a dream come true for her.

But with kids, it’s essential to plan ahead so that you don’t (inadvertently) disappoint your children and waste your hard-earned cash.

In this article, I’ll share what it was like to visit PokePark Kanto with my Pokemon-obsessed six-year-old (she is literally playing a Pokemon game right now as I write this). I’ll provide details about what each area of the park is actually like, plus what parents need to know before they go. Hopefully by the end, you’ll have a solid idea about what to expect and can decide whether it’s worth visiting with your family.

So What Exactly is PokePark Kanto?

PokePark Kanto is a Pokémon-themed park based on the Kanto region (think: the original generation vibes, such as Pikachu, starter Pokémon, classic locations, and of course, nostalgia).

I’ll be honest here, I grew up with the starter Pokémon before I aged out, so I’m a little grateful for this! I can barely remember the names of all the new ones (there are over a thousand or something?), while my daughter has memorized every single one. I am not kidding, she can’t remember what she did at school when I ask her at dinner, but she will be able to name a Pokémon in a split second.

(Also, this article took ages to write because my daughter only knows the Pokémon names in Japanese, and I only know about half the Kanto Pokémon in English, so I had to look up alllllll the English names.)

Anyway, I digress.

PokePark Kanto is designed to be an immersive, walk-around experience rather than a standard theme park, with things like themed areas to explore, photo spots, Pokémon encounters, and family-friendly attractions.

Notably, PokePark Kanto is not a stand-alone theme park. In fact, it’s located in Yomiuri Land, an amusement park that takes almost an hour (!) to get to from Shinjuku. (When we lived in Tokyo, we visited Yomiuri Land only once because it’s such a mission to get to…)

 Tickets and Prices

PokePark Kanto is reservation-only, meaning you cannot just show up on the day you want to visit. If you score a ticket, it will allow you to enter Yomiuri Land as well, but rides are not included. And honestly, based on our experience, you won’t really have time for rides at Yomiuri Land anyway!

Tickets for PokePark Kanto are available on their official website and go on sale two months ahead of time on a first-come, first-served basis. Note that sales open after Japan residents apply for the lottery, meaning that it can be quite hard (and frustrating) to secure tickets if Japanese people who didn’t get one in the lottery try to score tickets at the same time as well.

Also, they might limit the number of tickets you can apply for. For instance, I wanted to visit with my husband and daughter, but we could only apply for two tickets at a time instead of three, which is super frustrating when you want to visit as a family, or you have more than one kid! My husband decided he didn’t want to go, so it was just the two of us.

This is why I suggest not saying anything to your kids about trying to get tickets for PokePark Kanto, because the last thing you want is for them to be disappointed if you don’t manage to snag them!

In terms of cost, tickets vary in price depending on the type and the date, ranging from 4700 yen to a whopping 16,500 yen! Weekends and holidays are more expensive, and Tuesdays and Wednesdays are typically cheaper. Tickets are also pricier during busy seasons such as April (cherry blossom season, when many tourists visit Japan).

There are three types of tickets, which I’ll explain below.

Town Pass: This is the most affordable ticket and will get you unlimited entry into Sedge Town, not the Pokémon Forest. Children under age three don’t need a ticket for this area (yup, they’re free!), and strollers are allowed.

Trainer’s Pass: With this ticket, you can enter the Pokémon Forest but only at a certain time. You can also enter Sedge Town as many times as you like. Notably, children under age five cannot enter the Pokémon Forest, meaning they can only get the Town Pass! This is the pass we got because the Ace Trainer’s Pass was sold out in seconds.

Also, if you’re pregnant, you might also be denied entry to the Pokémon Forest, so if you’re expecting or you might be, get the Town Pass.

Ace Trainer’s Pass: This ticket lets you visit both the Pokémon Forest and Sedge Town at any time. You also get special meet-and-greets, a seat at the Sedge Gym Show Pika Pika Sparks, access to priority lanes for rides (once per each of the two attractions), and special merch. However, you still need to arrive at PokePark Kanto early if you want to get a limited-access entry ticket for the special merch shop Pokémon Daisuki House and if you want to meet Pokémon at the Pokémon Playhouse/Fureai House (more on that later).

Personally, I don’t know if the Ace Trainer’s Pass is really worth the cost, but I guess if the exchange rate is in your favor, it can help make the day a little extra special and easier. (Especially when traveling with kids.) For the record, we had a great time with just the Trainer’s Pass.

Note that food, drinks, and merchandise are not included in admission.

I am not going to guess specific yen amounts here when it comes to how much you should expect to spend because pricing can change by season and ticket type. What I can tell you is that based on my family’s experience, we spent more than we expected. A themed snack here, a souvenir there, and suddenly the day cost more than we planned. (There are also Pokémon headbands here that I imagine visitors, especially kiddos like mine, will want.)

Things to Know Before Visiting PokePark Kanto With Kids

I’ll start off by saying you should absolutely download the official PokePark Kanto app before you go. This is important as it will be your lifeline at the park, allowing you to enter and re-enter, as well as apply for special tickets for shows and shops.

Make sure you also wear comfortable shoes and clothing, because you’ll likely be on your feet for most of the day. Here’s a photo of our footwear for the day:

shoes for PokePark Kanto

Yomiuri Land is far from central Tokyo, almost an hour by public transport from Shinjuku Station, and usually involves taking a cable car up to the park.

With a young child and Tokyo’s morning rush hour trains to contend with, there was no way I was going to travel from Shinjuku. (I think I still have mild trauma from rush hour commuting in Tokyo when I was living and working there while pregnant.)

This is why I’d strongly recommend staying at a hotel nearby the night before your visit. My family stayed at HOTEL MOLINO SHIN-YURI, which is less than 30 minutes by bus from Yomiuri Land. It dropped us straight at the gates with no cable car needed, making the start of our day significantly less stressful.

And most importantly, if your child has a Pokémon plushie, make sure to bring it! You can purchase Pokémon Fit plushies at PokePark Kanto, as pictured below, but I think bringing your child’s own Pokémon from home makes it more special.

Pokemon plushies at pokepark kanto

My Family’s Day at PokePark Kanto

My daughter and I got to Yomiuri Land by bus at 8:40 AM, before it opened at 9:00 AM, because I wanted to try to get tickets for the limited-access areas:

  • Pokémon Playhouse (tickets are first-come, first-served)
  • Pokémon Daisuki Shop (first-come, first-served)
  • Pika Pika Sparks show at Sedge Gym (lottery)

PokePark Kanto has its own entrance, so make sure you don’t line up at the wrong place. Thankfully, there are lots of signs like the one below that will tell you where to go.

sign at Yomiuri Land for PokePark Kanto
Look for this sign for the way to PokePark Kanto

There was already a huge line when we arrived, which made me nervous.

line for PokePark Kanto
The line for PokePark Kanto

The staff told us to have our ticket QR codes ready on the app so they could be quickly scanned when the doors for Yomiuri Land opened at 9:00 AM. Everything was seamless and in less than 10 minutes, my daughter and I were inside Yomiuri Land.

I stepped aside and quickly used the PokePark Kanto app to apply for the limited access areas: Pokémon Playhouse, the Pokémon Daisuki Shop, and the Sedge Gym show (Pika Pika Sparks). Thankfully, I got all three, but the only time slots I could get were all later in the day. That made me realize pretty quickly that if we had arrived later, we might have missed out.

Here’s what the screen looks like in Japanese. The image below shows that I applied for (and got) entry for my daughter and me to the Pokémon Daisuki House and the Pokémon Playhouse. I hadn’t applied for the lottery for the Sedge Gym show yet.

Application page for limited access tickets for PokePark Kanto

Here is what the page looks like when you successfully get a ticket:

Make sure none of the times overlap when you apply. As a rough guide:

Allow at least 30 minutes for the Pokémon Fureai House meet-and-greet (but it’s probably going to be shorter than that),  at least 30 minutes for the Sedge Gym show, and about an hour for the Pokémon Daisuki Shop.

Make sure to also factor in time for the Pokémon Forest (we were done in 30 minutes, though I’d allow an hour to be safe) and the free parade that runs twice a day (check the PokePark Kanto app for times).

Also, keep in mind that every time you re-enter Sedge Town, you need to go through a security check and re-scan your ticket. It’s annoying but unavoidable, so make sure to get a re-entry stamp on your hand when you leave and always have your ticket accessible. This is why I recommend scheduling the Pokémon Daisuki House for your last stop of the day.

Needless to say, this was all really overwhelming for my brain, but somehow I managed to make it work. If you need to write the times all down to remember, bring a pen and a notepad with you. The app will have the times you can access each area, but this isn’t helpful when you’re in the process of trying to secure a spot.

Areas Within PokePark Kanto

PokePark Kanto is comprised of three main areas (the limited-access areas I mentioned above are in these main areas):

  • PokePark Entrance Plaza
  • Sedge Town
  • Pokemon Forest

Unsurprisingly, you enter PokePark Kanto through PokePark Entrance Plaza, which is connected to Yomiuri Land. It’s easy to find, just follow everyone else in front of you after you enter Yomiuri Land!

PokePark Entrance Plaza

A child standing in front of the PokePark Kanto sign

You don’t need to scan your ticket to enter the PokePark Entrance Plaza. When we arrived, people were already lining up to take photos with the PokePark Kanto sign and the Poké Ball. I wouldn’t bother waiting in that queue, as we discovered there are far fewer people in the afternoon.

Also, the Pokeball’s center lights up at night, which was really fun for my daughter. You can see it in action in the video below.

 

PokePark Entrance Plaza is the entryway for Sedge Town and Pokémon Forest. You can only enter both through the PokePark Entrance Plaza. We saw people already lining up at the entrance for Sedge Town and Pokémon Forest, despite the fact that these didn’t open until 10:00 AM.

This plaza is also home to the Pokémon Daisuki Shop, which requires a limited-access ticket (that we made sure to get via the PokePark Kanto app when we first entered Yomiuri Land).

There’s also an adorable display outside the Pokémon Daisuki Shop featuring classic Kanto Pokémon like Charmander, Eevee, and Pikachu popping in and out, which my daughter stopped to look at and enjoyed. According to her: “I like how the Pokemon kept popping in and out, it was fun!”

If you have two parents with you, have one line up for Sedge Town (again, you can’t enter until 10:00 AM) and the other parent watch the kid(s) watch the Pokemon here.

child looking at display in front of pokemon daisuki shop at pokepark kanto

I wish I could have done this but alas, I was the only parent that day. Had my husband been with me, I might have tried to go on a ride or two at Yomiuri Land with my daughter while he waited in line.

My daughter and I lined up for Sedge Town at around 9:20 AM, and she was surprisingly okay with the wait (partly because I let her play Pokémon GO on my phone, among other games).

Sedge Town

When the gates for Sedge Town opened at 10:00 AM, everyone entered smoothly despite the size of the crowd, which was surprising. By 10:09 AM, we were inside.

Right before you enter Sedge Town, you need to do a security check as well as scan your ticket(s). If you leave to go back to the PokePark Entrance Plaza, for instance, to go to the Pokémon Daisuki Shop, each return to Sedge Town means another security check. Although this doesn’t take more than a minute or two in the afternoon, it can be annoying, so try to plan your visits to this area efficiently.

entering Sedge Town at PokePark Kanto

The path leading to Sedge Town was so beautiful as it was lined with cherry blossom trees, making it especially beautiful in spring.

One benefit of lining up and arriving early at Sedge Town is that Pikachu and Eevee were waiting at the entrance to greet guests first thing in the morning.

PokePark Kanto Pikachu

My daughter got photos with both, and it set a really great mood for the rest of the day. Staff also greeted guests warmly when we first entered, which brought a smile to our faces.

Sedge Town is super cute, and I find it’s the perfect size for children to explore. There are lots of Pokémon stationed throughout Sedge Town that talk when you approach, and plenty of Pokémon statues that make for great photos, especially if you want to pretend like you’re in the middle of a battle. Although my daughter did say she wished the Pokemon could have moved and fought her.

a child and a pokemon at pokepark kanto

My daughter had so much fun spotting all the different Pokémon. She definitely noticed some that I had no idea about! (Can you spot the Pokémon in the pictures below? Because I sure didn’t see it at first, but my daughter’s keen eyes did!)

a child pointing at pokemon at pokepark kanto

a child finding water pokemon at pokepark kanto

Sedge Town is home to:

  • Sedge Gym
  • Pokemon Playhouse
  • Shops selling merch and food
  • Pokemon Center
  • Rides
  • Parades

It can feel a little overwhelming trying to figure out where to start, so just take a few minutes to soak it all in before deciding what to do first, which is what we did.

a shop at pokepark kanto

There are plenty of shops in Sedge Town that sell Pokémon headbands, hats, Pokemon Fit plushies (if you want Pokémon plushies that are only available at PokePark Kanto, those are Eevee and Pikachu, which are sold at Pokémon Daisuki Shop), and T-shirts. So for the full Pokémon look, get these in the morning.

headbands for sale at Pokepark Kanto

pikachu headbands at pokepark kanto

pokemon hats at pokepark kanto

Even if they’re not going to wear it right away, if your child wants a particular T-shirt, buy it in the morning. I spotted people queuing for shirts and told myself I’d check out the shop later. But by 2 PM, sizes for particular designs were sold out. I thankfully managed to grab the last T-shirt in my daughter’s size!

T-shirts at PokePark Kanto

Another popular shop in Sedge Town is this one that sells Pokémon pin badges:

store that sells pokemon pin badges at Pokepark kanto

These are collectible badges that, for whatever reason, are super popular and limited to one per guest. The line is short first thing in the morning and in the late afternoon. We lined up in the afternoon for these badges and waited for a whopping 30 minutes. And they don’t allow people to leave the line and re-enter, so your kid can’t look around while you wait.

venonat pokemon collectable pin at pokepark kanto

voltorb collectable pin at pokepark kanto

If you don’t like the badge you got (my daughter didn’t like hers), you can exchange it at any of the shops displaying pin badges. There is some variation among the shops, but not much.

collectable pins for exchange at pokepark kanto

Make sure to try to ask for a special “1st Visit” sticker too at these shops. Below is a picture of our stickers.

1st visit stickers at pokepark kanto

If it’s a birthday, you can get a birthday sticker, too!

I also thought these keychains that you can personalize were great (I got one for my daughter with her name on it, and it turned out the staff helping us had the same name!)

personalized keychains at pokepark kanto

You can’t get the keychain right away, though, and typically have to wait two hours, so if you want one, I suggest getting it before 4 PM.

Pokemon Greetings

Notably, throughout the day, you’ll encounter different Pokémon roaming about Sedge Town, so keep your eyes peeled as they have a habit of showing up when you least expect them.

My daughter not only got to see Pikachu and Eevee, who showed up at opening and about an hour before closing, but she also met Vulpix:

a child with vulpix at pokepark kanto

Growlith:

a child with growlith at pokepark kanto

Snorlax:

a child with snorlax at pokepark kanto

There was also Psyduck!

a child with psyduck at pokepark kanto

The Pokémon that roam around the park change every month, so what you see above might not be there when you visit.

Pokémon Card Activity

This ended up being a nice surprise at the PokePark Kanto.

From a shop in Sedge Town (of course), you can get two of these oversized Pokémon cards.

card activity at pokepark kanto

You then have to find the matching Pokémon around the park, and take a photo of them framed inside the card. The cards are in Japanese, but since there are pictures of the Pokémon on them, it is still easy enough to do.

card activity at pokepark kanto

My daughter loved this activity because what kid doesn’t like to hunt for Pokémon and “capture” them? And she already knew where Meowth was, which was impressive because I had no clue.

a parent and child doing the pokemon card activity at pokepark kanto

It can be tricky getting the camera to focus, so if you run into this problem, set your phone to 0.9x zoom.

When you show your photos to staff, you get these super cool stickers, and you also get to keep the cards.

prizes for pokemon card activity at pokepark kanto

That said, it adds more things to carry, so I definitely recommend having a large-enough bag on hand for these.

Sedge Gym (Pika Pika Sparks Show)

Sedge Gym at pokepark kanto

This was the highlight of the entire day for my daughter and me. The show has assigned seating, so make sure to check your app for your seat number and colour, and photography is not allowed during the performance. I actually appreciated this because we could just watch it together without phones getting in the way.

pika pika sparks show at sedge gym at pokepark kanto

The music is great (I kind of felt like I was in a club, in a good way), the storyline is cute, and Team Rocket shows up, which my daughter was very excited about. Allow at least 30 minutes for the show, and since my feet were aching at this point, sitting down for that amount of time was very welcome.

My daughter said all the Pikachus were cute, especially the girl Pikachu. She also liked the music and the “attacks”.

Pokemon Playhouse

The Pokémon Playhouse (called Fureai House in Japanese) is where you get to meet one of three Pokémon characters.

pokemon playhouse at pokepark kanto

You won’t know who you get to meet, and we happened to meet Slowpoke!

pokemon at pokemon playhouse

Slowpoke and the staff were so sweet and encouraged my daughter to squeeze Slowpoke’s hands and get up close. They also took a photo of us using my own phone, which was a nice touch because at some other theme parks they charge for these things.

slowpoke and author and child at pokepark kanto

We were in and out in about ten minutes but I would set aside around 30 minutes for this experience just in case there’s a line.

Pokemon Center

Pokemon center at pokepark kanto

This is where you can have Nurse Joy “heal” your Pokémon. If you have a Pokémon plushie, you can use that, but if not, you can also use something like a headband, which is what I did. A group of people gets let in every ten minutes, so there is usually a line.

I would not say this was the most exciting thing in the park as an adult, but it was certainly cute, my daughter was thrilled to meet Nurse Joy in person. She loved the experience so much that we visited the Pokémon Center twice!

Nurse Joy absolutely places kids first and foremost, and the other guests always kindly let kids go to the front so they have the best view of their Pokémon getting healed.

If it’s your birthday, they’ll also do a little birthday celebration for you, as you will see in the video below:

My daughter said the Pokemon Center was “so cute that I died”. So there you go.

Parades

There are two parades held during the day in Sedge Town. The schedule can be found on the PokePark Kanto app but generally it’s at around 1:30 PM and 3:30 PM (again, check the schedule on the day you go because it’s subject to change).

This parade features Pikachu and Eevee, and it’s so incredibly adorable, with bubbles at the end. They march through town and then have a little show outside Sedge Gym.

pokemon parade at pokepark kanto

The entire parade takes about 10 minutes, so I suggest waiting outside Sedge Gym when it starts so you don’t miss anything!

Food Options in Sedge Town

There aren’t many food options inside the park, which is worth knowing in advance, so you can plan accordingly. The menus on the boards are all in Japanese, but there are English menus available at the counter.

The Eevee Café has latte art featuring Eeveelutions, as well as popsicles and cream breads.

eevee cafe at pokepark kanto

The Pikachu Onigiri Shop sells onigiri with sides, which my daughter wanted because, for her, onigiri is life.

onigiri shop at pokepark kanto

My daughter was very happy with hers and said she felt like a Pokemon actually made it (?). I though the charcoal karaage that came with it was pretty underwhelming, and I personally wouldn’t order it again.

onigiri set at pokepark kanto

There’s also a small shop selling soup and sandwiches that looked more appealing to me but I didn’t have time to try it.

front of shop selling soups and sandwiches at pokepark kanto

menu at shop that sells soups and sandwiches at pokepark kanto

There is a store selling a Snorlax Popcorn bucket as well as Pokemon-themed drinks:

shop selling snorlax popcorn bucket at pokepark kanto

snorlax popcorn bucket and drinks at pokepark kanto

Notably, certain items sell out very quickly. For instance, there’s this shop right by the Pokémon Center:

drinks shop at pokepark kanto

Cookies here were already gone by 11:10 AM when we visited, and drinks were gone by the early afternoon.

drinks at pokepark kanto

So, if there’s something specific your child has their heart set on, get it as soon as you arrive rather than telling yourself you’ll come back for it later.

If you need somewhere to eat, there are tables and chairs near the Vee Vee Voyage ride (at the back of Sedge Town):

tables and chairs to eat at pokepark kanto

And there is seating near the Pika Pika Paradise ride (near the front of Sedge Town):

seating at pokepark kanto

You can also eat inside Sedge Gym, but only when there is no show, and there are no tables. This is a great place to escape bad weather, too, or just rest if your kids are tired.

inside sedge gym at pokepark kanto

inside sedge gym at pokepark kanto

 

 

Kid-Friendly Rides

There are only two rides at PokePark Kanto, which are located in Sedge Town, and thankfully, both are perfect for kids.

Pika Pika Paradise

This is a ride that has you “soar” in the sky while riding in a Pikachu (think the Dumbo ride at Disney).

There is no height requirement, but you cannot hold your child on Pika Pika Paradise, so they need to be able to sit upright on their own. Children ages four and under also need to ride with someone age 13 and older, so parents can’t have them ride with a sibling younger than 13 if they’re not planning on going on the ride, too.

Make sure to look carefully at each Pikachu car since each one has a different Pokémon buddy sitting on its head. I didn’t even notice this, but my daughter pointed it out and then proceeded to choose her favorite one.

pikachu ride at pokepark kanto

She said she liked the ride because the view was good and the Pokemon were cute.

Pika Pika Paradise costs 1,200 yen for adults and 800 yen for children. It’s pricey, but the ride is super adorable, and because tickets are sold by time slot, there’s no queue, which was a relief.

You can purchase tickets for Pika Pika Paradise at the booth near the ride:

where to purchase tickets for pika pika paradise at pokepark kanto

Vee Vee Voyage

Vee Vee Voyage is a typical merry-go-round, but with Pokémon characters, and I think it’s honestly the cutest thing in the entire park. It features Eevee and all of its Eeveelutions, as well as Rapidash.

a child standing in front of Vee Vee Voyage at PokePark Kanto

Like Pika Pika Paradise, tickets are sold by time slot and cost 1200 yen for adults and 800 yen for children. I wish it weren’t so expensive to ride more than once, but this meant we had a stress-free experience both times, since, just like Pika Pika Paradise, there was no line.

My daughter was able to choose the Eevee she rode on, and even change it to another one when she realized that the one she chose (Sylveon) was stationary.

a child riding on vee vee voyage at pokepark kanto

Out of both Pika Pika Paradise and Vee Vee Voyage, my daughter liked Vee Vee Voyage better because “Eevee is so cute”.

Pokémon Forest

The Pokémon Forest is included with the Trainer’s Pass and the Ace Trainer’s Pass. Every ticket holder has a specific time slot when they can enter. You don’t need to get there right on the dot as you have an hour window, which is written on your ticket.

You need to exit Sedge Town and go back to PokePark Entrance Plaza to get to Pokémon Forest.

(Also, when you exit Sedge Town, make sure not to miss the Pokemon battling on the roof! I believe this is a Pokemon Stadium? The staff at the exit will direct you to it if you’re having trouble finding it.)

pokemon stadium at pokepark kanto

a child with gyarados at pokepark kanto

Although we arrived at the Pokemon Forest twenty minutes after our time slot opened, there were still a number of people waiting to get in. But the line moved quickly, thankfully.

entrance for pokemon forest at pokepark kanto
The entrance to the Pokemon Forest

line to get into pokemon forest at pokepark kanto

We each also got a super cute research book, which my daughter is holding in the photo below.

a child with a research book at pokemon forest at pokepark kanto

As mentioned earlier, kids under age five cannot go inside the Pokémon Forest, not even with their parents. Kids also need to be able to climb up 110 stairs without assistance. No carrying of kiddos allowed!

So, given all of this and warnings beforehand about needing to be in reasonable health, I expected something fairly expansive, maybe a little wild and challenging as they tried to make Pokémon Forest as realistic as possible, with some rocky and uneven paths here, as well as little hills and tunnels.

What we found was what I would consider a pleasant little park with Pokémon statues scattered throughout, grouped by type, such as Rock and Grass. They make sounds when you approach, but that’s about as interactive as it gets.

A few of the life-size Pokémon, like Onix, are pretty cool, but the whole experience took us 30 minutes when the official website said it would be an hour. I was so surprised when we reached the exit (which thankfully connects to Sedge Town) and thought I’d missed something. (I double-checked with a staff member, and they told me I did see everything, though, since it’s basically one route!)

pokemon at pokepark kanto's pokemon forest

Personally, I wasn’t that impressed, but my six-year-old absolutely loved it. She had a blast spotting all the Pokémon and taking pictures with every single one. And some are a little hidden, which my daughter had so much fun finding. Lots of adults missed these Pokémon and were surprised when my daughter found them.

hidden pokemon in pokemon forest at pokepark kanto

a child inside pokemon forest at pokepark kanto

The terrain was also not challenging for my six-year-old whatsoever. Yes, there are lots of stairs but it isn’t tiring.

stairs at pokemon forest at pokepark kanto

There are dirt paths that you can climb and you’re free to go straight into the grassy area and interact with the Pokémon, but it’s nothing a young child can’t handle.

a child looking at pokemon in pokemon forest at pokepark kanto

a child and zoobat at pokepark kanto

a child and pokemon in the pokemon forest at pokepark kanto

I really don’t understand why they restrict children under age five because my daughter, even at age three, perhaps even two, could have easily handled this.

My daughter’s overall thoughts on the Pokémon Forest: “It’s cute, and Pikachu is Number 1!” She said she would go back to the Pokémon Forest so she can see all the Pokémon again, because although they don’t really do anything, the sounds the Pokémon make are enough for her because they’re cute.

As mentioned earlier, the exit for the Pokémon Forest is connected to Sedge Town, and once you exit, you cannot go back.

Pokémon Daisuki Shop

The Pokémon Daisuki Shop is located in PokePark Entrance Plaza and requires a limited-access ticket. You only have a 15-minute window to enter the shop, but thankfully, it takes less than five minutes to walk there from Sedge Town.

pokemon daisuki shop at pokepark kanto

This is where you can get park-limited Pikachu and Eevee plushies, so if that’s something your child has their heart set on, make sure you have your timed ticket sorted through the app right when you get inside Yomiuri Land in the morning.

inside pokemon daisuki shop at pokepark kanto

It is small, but my daughter and I both ended up completely overwhelmed by how cute everything was, especially the Vee Vee Voyage-themed goods. We were in this shop for almost an entire hour, and I spent more money than I expected.

Try to make this your last stop of the day if you can, so you’re not lugging shopping bags through the entire park.

Tips for Visiting PokePark Kanto With Kids

a child standing in front of a water fountain at pokepark kanto

⭐️ Download the PokePark Kanto app before you visit and register your information in advance. It is your lifeline inside the park.

⭐️ Wear comfortable shoes and clothing since there is a lot of walking involved. If your child has a favourite Pokémon plushie, bring it along because Nurse Joy at the Pokémon Center will “heal” it for you, which is really special. (If you don’t have one, you can use your headband instead, which is what we did.)

⭐️ Arrive around 30 minutes before Yomiuriland opens because limited-access tickets for shows, greetings, and the Daisuki Shop go quickly.

⭐️ Buy clothing and food items you want in the morning. Both might sell out faster than you’d expect.

⭐️ If you really want a pin badge, line up for it early or wait until near closing. They cost 1,600 yen but you won’t know which one you get. If you don’t like yours, you can exchange it at shops throughout Sedge Town, though there’s a lot of overlap between what different shops have available.

⭐️ If your child plays Pokémon GO, winning a raid battle in the park gives you a special background if you successfully catch the Pokémon you battled.

pokemon Go at pokepark kanto

⭐️ And don’t miss the Pokémon manhole cover in the park as it’s easy to walk past without noticing.

pokemon manhole at pokepark kanto

Wrap-up: Is PokePark Kanto Worth It With Kids?

PokePark Kanto is not perfect. It is expensive, it takes planning, and some parts were less impressive than I expected. Although there are some Pokémon walking about, most are stationary and only make sounds. It’s very much focused on aesthetics.

But this didn’t bother or disappoint my daughter whatsoever. She had a wonderful time, and seeing her happy face throughout the day meant everything. We were there from 9 AM to 5:30 PM, so close to closing time at 6 PM, and she did not want to leave. After we left, she asked to go back. Which is easier said than done because we live in Osaka now.

a child with polywhirls at pokepark kanto

So if you are thinking about going with a child who loves Pokémon, I do think it can be worth it. There were Pokémon everywhere for my daughter to find and she had plenty of activities throughout the day to keep her occupied.

Just go in knowing that the day might take more effort, more walking, and more money than you expect.

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As a small token of my appreciation, I'll also send you a FREE Japanese and English printable to help your little one learn all about words associated with spring in Japan 🌸

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JOIN THE MAILING LIST

As a small token of my appreciation, I'll also send you a FREE Japanese and English printable to help your little one learn all about words associated with spring in Japan 🌸

This field is required.