It’s been a couple of weeks since the 2023 World Championships concluded in Yokohama, Japan, but the energy of the event and the city surrounding it continues to percolate through our minds. Attending the competitive season’s capstone event is a unique experience that players across the world chase tirelessly for the entire year—plenty of friends, fans, and family make the trip just to spectate as well. If you’re looking for a window into what it’s like to travel to the World Championships—whether you want to qualify for your own invitation in 2024 or visit and spectate all the fun—look no further than the 2023 Worlds Pikachu plush and its adventures at one of the most exciting World Championships yet!
It’s Day 0 in Yokohama, and Pikachu is ready and registered for the weekend’s events. Now it has plenty of time to explore the surrounding Minatomirai area—just take a look at that Ferris wheel! Anyway, it’s time for some shopping.
Pikachu made a stop at the MARK IS Minatomirai mall, which is near the PACIFICO Convention Center—the venue hosting the 2023 Pokémon World Championships. In addition to a pop-up Alolan-themed Pokémon Center, an Alolan Exeggutor towered above the shoppers. We had to get a bit creative, but we got a shot of it with Pikachu on the second-floor railing. To our next destination!
That’s an awful lot of Pikachu. You’ve seen Pikachu V-UNION as a set of four cards, but this unique art piece in front of the Yokohama Stadium is not only much larger in size it also has three panels that depict different layers of the artwork. Fun Fact: Did you know that there are 25 Pikachu in this artwork and that each Pikachu is illustrated by a different artist in their own style? Pikachu just had to get in on the fun and make it 26 by joining the artwork itself.
After checking out some self-referential artwork, we shuffled Pikachu around to Yokohama’s Chinatown, which is famous for being among the largest in the world. After walking the streets of Chinatown, we posed Pikachu in a narrow alleyway chock full of restaurants and red lanterns.
It’s time for business. We visited the Creatures Inc. office in Tokyo to learn more about the magic of Pokémon TCG development. Creatures Inc. has developed and published the Pokémon TCG since 1998—from the text on the cards to the artwork that fills their frames—so they’re a big deal. When you walk on to the main office floor in the Creatures Inc. office, you’re greeted by this sign that Pikachu snuck under and a variety of awesome Pokémon TCG-related artwork.
Pikachu also had the opportunity to pose for a photo with beloved TCG artist, Yuka Morii! She’s renowned for her clay modeling skills and has been making artwork for the Pokémon TCG for over 20 years. During the Creatures Inc. visit, she hosted a clay-modeling session where media and influencers could mold their very own Magnemite based on the upcoming Magnemite in the Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet—151 expansion.
The day has rolled over and we’re finally here. The 2023 Pokémon World Championships are about to start, and we met up with the giant Pikachu that greeted players and fans as they entered the venue.
We found Pikachu’s table and what do you know—it’s Pikachu’s lucky number 25. At the start of each round, players are tasked with navigating the hall and finding the appropriate table to match up against their next opponent. Make sure to arrive promptly!
The 2023 Pokémon World Championships were the first to be hosted in Japan, so the venue was filled with Japanese-themed photo opportunities for fans to enjoy. Our favorites were the ramen shop with Fuecoco and Pikachu—double the ramen fun alongside the Worlds Pikachu plush—as well as Victini’s fishing adventure, where our friend got a little carried away on the line.
After messing around with ramen bowls and fishing lines, we found a lot more ramen bowls. We hid our Pikachu among the wall of Pikachu available for purchase at the Worlds Pokémon Center Pop-Up Store. Can you pick out which one has been our travel buddy this whole time?
The day’s matches are over and we’re getting ready to head outside the PACIFICO Convention Center. This taxi inside the venue wasn’t going anywhere, but we decided to send Pikachu on one last symbolic ride.
We hope you enjoyed the photos, Trainers, and we hope to see you at next year’s Pokémon World Championships!
