Pokemon sent me to Japan!
Summary
TLDRIn this engaging narrative, the speaker recounts an extraordinary journey to Japan, where they attended the Pokémon 2023 World Championships as a guest of the Pokémon company. The trip was filled with memorable experiences, including visiting the Pokémon Center, participating in a traditional tea ceremony, exploring various themed cafes, and shopping for unique merchandise. The speaker also attended live shows and concerts, navigated the challenges of Japanese train travel, and indulged in the local cuisine. The trip was not only a celebration of their interests in Pokémon and other Japanese pop culture but also an opportunity to connect with friends and create lasting memories.
Takeaways
- 🎉 The narrator was invited to Japan by Pokémon to attend the 2023 World Championships due to the success of a previous video.
- ✈️ They extended the invitation to include a friend, covering all expenses such as flights, hotels, and meals.
- 🥳 The trip was planned to last three weeks, with the Pokémon tournament taking place over a single weekend.
- 🧳 The travelers packed extra suitcases in anticipation of purchasing many items, particularly anime and Nintendo merchandise.
- 🍔 They explored Japanese fast food, notably trying the double Big Mac at McDonald's.
- 🛍️ Visited the Pokémon Center and indulged in the Pokémon Sweets Cafe, experiencing unique food offerings related to the franchise.
- 🍵 Attended a traditional tea ceremony, learning about tea making and its cultural significance in Japan.
- 🎁 Received a tour of the Creatures Inc. offices, the creators of Pokémon cards, and engaged in a Q&A with key personnel.
- 🎨 Participated in a workshop hosted by Yuka Mori, a Pokémon card artist, where they made clay Magnemites.
- 🎵 Enjoyed a Pokémon Symphony, where a live orchestra played music from the Pokémon games and series.
- 🏰 Spent time at Tokyo Disneyland and Universal Studios Japan, the latter being a standout for its anime and manga focus.
- 🛒 Made numerous purchases, including limited edition items and gifts for friends, nearly filling an additional six suitcases.
Q & A
What event did the Pokémon company invite Jaden to attend in Japan?
-The Pokémon company invited Jaden to attend the Pokémon 2023 World Championships in Japan.
How long was the Pokémon tournament that Jaden and Jacob attended?
-The Pokémon tournament was only going on for a single weekend.
How long did Jaden and Jacob plan to stay in Japan?
-Jaden and Jacob planned to stay in Japan for three whole weeks.
What was the first place Jaden and Jacob visited upon arriving in Japan?
-The first place they visited was the Japanese McDonald's.
What did Jaden and Jacob miss due to getting the wrong train?
-They missed the group field trip to the Pokémon Center.
What cultural experience did Jaden participate in during the trip?
-Jaden participated in a traditional tea ceremony.
Which Pokémon TCG card artist hosted a workshop for Jaden and the group?
-Yuka Mori, the artist known for creating super cute clay art on Pokémon cards, hosted a workshop for them.
What did Jaden and Jacob do at the Pokémon World's popup shop?
-They did private shopping and bought way too much stuff.
Which concert did Jaden attend during their trip?
-Jaden attended an Eve concert in Osaka.
What was Jaden's experience with the gacha machine in the Goa store?
-Jaden had a difficult time trying to get a specific Chica figure from the gacha machine and ended up spending a lot of money before finally getting it.
How did Jaden and Jacob manage their luggage for the return trip?
-They bought six extra suitcases to hold everything they had collected during the trip and had to fit everything into the suitcases with no extra room to spare.
Outlines
🌏 Journey to Japan for Pokémon 2023 World Championships
The narrator recounts their journey to Japan to attend the Pokémon 2023 World Championships as a guest of the Pokémon company. They reminisce about their previous trip to Japan in 2018 and their desire to return for the 'nerdy' attractions. The trip included an extended stay to explore Japan's pop culture offerings, and the excitement of attending the world's largest Pokémon tournament with friend Jacob. The narrator shares their experiences of traveling business class, courtesy of Pokémon, and their adventures upon landing in Japan, including visiting the Japanese McDonald's and attending the Pokémon World Championships.
🛍️ Shopping and Adventures with Pokémon
The video script describes the narrator's private shopping experience at the Pokémon World's popup shop and their visit to the Creatures Inc. office, where they got to meet the creators of Pokémon cards and participate in a Q&A session with the game director and artists. They also took part in a clay art workshop hosted by the renowned artist Yuka Mori. The narrator and Jacob explored various attractions such as the Pokémon Center in Shibuya, Nintendo store, and a traditional tea ceremony. They also attended the Pokémon Symphony, adding to their immersive experience in Japanese pop culture.
🎥 Memorable Encounters and One Piece Episode
This paragraph details the narrator's experiences during the final days of their Pokémon field trip, including a visit to another Pokémon Center and a shopping spree at the One Piece store in Shibuya. They also attended a live concert of HATSUNE MIKU, which the narrator considers as the best day of their life. The trip also coincided with the airing of a significant One Piece episode, which they watched live in their hotel. The narrator reflects on the overwhelming experiences and the need for rest after the action-packed days.
🍜 Delicious Ramen and Italian Dining Surprise
The narrator shares their gastronomical experiences in Japan, highlighting the best ramen they ever had at a small restaurant and an unforgettable Italian meal at a place recommended by a friend. They recount an unexpected encounter with Junichi Masuda, the director of Game Freak, while dining at the Italian restaurant. The narrator also discusses their struggle with the heat and humidity during their stay in Japan and the physical toll it took on them.
🎢 Theme Park Adventures and One Piece Live Show
The script describes the narrator's visit to Tokyo Disneyland and their mixed feelings about it. They then attended an Eve concert and enjoyed the unique Japanese concert atmosphere. The narrator's favorite experiences include visiting Universal Studios Japan, which they consider the best amusement park they've ever been to, with its anime and manga focus. They also watched a One Piece live show, despite not understanding Japanese, and enjoyed the costume design and special effects.
🎰 Gacha Addiction and Emotional Shopping
The narrator confesses their obsession with Chica, a character from the Gochi series, leading to an excessive amount of gacha machine spending. They share their disappointment at not getting the desired Chica item and the awkward encounter with the store staff. The shopping spree continues with a visit to a Gochi store and a successful attempt at getting Chica from a machine. The paragraph ends with the narrator's reflection on their emotional attachment to Chica and the struggle of managing their purchases.
👋 Bittersweet Goodbyes and the Return Home
The narrator reflects on the end of their trip, the farewells to new friends, and the challenges of packing all the items they purchased into extra suitcases. They express gratitude to the Pokémon company for the opportunity and celebrate the trip as a celebration of their hobbies and interests. The paragraph concludes with the narrator's acknowledgment of their fortune and appreciation for the experiences and friendships formed during the journey.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Pokémon
💡Japan
💡World Championships
💡Anime and Nintendo
💡Impulsive Buyers
💡Cultural Experiences
💡Travel Mishaps
💡Merchandise
💡Vegan
💡Friendships
💡Cultural Celebration
Highlights
Jaden was invited to Japan by Pokémon to watch the 2023 World Championships as a reward for a popular video.
Jaden and Jacob planned a three-week stay in Japan to explore nerdy activities beyond the Pokémon event.
Pokémon provided business class seats for Jaden and Jacob's flight to Japan.
The group visited the Mega Tokyo Pokémon Center and the Pokémon Sweets Cafe.
Jaden and the group attended a traditional tea ceremony and learned about tea culture in Japan.
The travelers explored Yokohama Chinatown and experienced local street food.
Jaden and Jacob shopped at the Pokémon World's popup shop and bought numerous items.
The group visited the Creatures Inc. offices, the creators of Pokémon cards.
Jaden participated in a clay art workshop hosted by Yuka Mori, a Pokémon card artist.
The travelers attended the Pokémon Symphony, enjoying live performances of Pokémon music.
Jaden and Jacob experienced the excitement of the Pokémon World Championships.
The group had a memorable encounter with Junichi Masuda, the director of Game Freak, at an Italian restaurant.
Jaden watched a live One Piece anime episode in Japan during a significant moment in the series' history.
The travelers visited Universal Studios Japan, enjoying its unique anime and manga focus.
Jaden's experience with gacha machines led to an obsession with collecting Chica, a character from One Piece.
The trip concluded with Jaden and Jacob packing numerous suitcases full of gifts and souvenirs.
Jaden expresses gratitude to the Pokémon company for the unforgettable experience and opportunities.
Transcripts
remember when Pokémon sent me every
single one of their Gen 5 sitting cuties
for me to rank turns out they really
liked that video so much in fact that
they said hey Jaden awesome video why
don't you come to Japan to watch the
Pokémon 2023 World
Championships our treat you won't have
to pay for your flights or hotel or
nothing I've been to Japan once before
in my entire life and it was back in
2018 with my family we did a bunch of
fun little Japanese tourist things it
was a phenomenal trip but ever since
then I've always wanted to go back and
do all the awesome nerdy stuff Japan has
to offer that I didn't want to bother my
family with at the time they didn't even
know who Luffy was they would have been
so lost so when Pokemon extended their
hand and offered to fly not only me but
Jacob out to attend the biggest Pokémon
tournament in the world I jumped for Joy
free trip to Japan the tournament was
only going on for a single weekend but
Jacob and I planned to stay there for
three whole weeks to do a bunch of said
extra nerdy stuff we were pumped
eventually the time came Jacob and I
were packing up all our stuff and
decided we both would bring an extra
suitcase so we could treat ourselves a
bit and buy a bunch of cool stuff while
we're there don't judge us we are anime
and Nintendo loving impulse buyers going
to Japan a game plan was needed we were
being responsible two extra suitcases
was definitely going to be enough yep
equipped with our extra luggage we
headed off to the airport Pokémon
straight up gave us business class seats
we didn't ask for them or anything so so
when we boarded we realized we had the
seats where you could lay down there
even was some sort of seat divider that
acted like a car window so I could roll
it down and bother Jacob whenever I
wanted quick little 11-hour flight later
and we were in Japan it was time to have
the best trip of Our Lives I'm I'm not
joking I had the most incredible trip
and got to do things I won't ever forget
and I I won't because I've now plastered
it onto the internet forever we landed
midday Japan time so we decided to go to
the first thing we wanted to see while
abroad Japanese McDonald's I couldn't
order anything except fries but Jacob
and I both dropped our Jaws when we saw
something called the double Big Mac on
the menu I thought Americans already
went big with the Big Mac but Japan did
The Impossible just to send a message
what a magical place let's begin with
the next morning Pokemon planned a bunch
of cool stuff for the creators and
partners they flew out beginning with a
group field trip to the mega Tokyo
Pokémon Center Jacob and I woke up early
for it and missed the bus they had for
us and it totally wasn't completely my
fault entirely because I hypothetically
didn't read the schedule correctly and
was taking my sweet time getting ready
why would you think that so we had to
take the trains on our own to get there
anyone that remembers my first Japan
trip knows the trains were me and my
family's mortal enemy number one we kept
getting it wrong and it was failure
after failure the entire trip you'd
think that with all that prior
experience and struggle I would have
grown as a Japanese train understander
right nope we got on the wrong train but
at least we were having a a good
time after a lot of freaking out and
mental strain and Regrets We finally
arrived at our destination and although
by the time we got there they had
already finished looking at the Pokémon
Center we were able to grab a quick
snack with the group at the Pokémon
Sweets Cafe I meant to take a picture of
the Pikachu waffle before I ate half its
Cranium but I forgot so this is why you
get now that we were with the group we
were able to travel with them for the
rest of the day so we packed into the
bus and headed off to a traditional tea
ceremony where we were taught all about
how the tea Masters would make tea and
tea etiquette and all these things about
the significance of tea in Japanese
culture all while getting to taste the
tea the tea Master made again I've meant
to take this picture before I took a
chunk out of the little sweet they gave
us but here we are yet again I'm just
not that great at this they also served
us a really special lunch of super fancy
Beno boxes like so fancy that the host
was like dude I've never even had these
Beno boxes before for I was super
excited but I don't mean to be
ungrateful or wasteful but the box was
full of super fancy complicated fish and
seafood I knew going to Japan I'd have
to be flexible with food because it's
really hard to be vegan or even
vegetarian there so I really tried to
eat as much as possible and look
thankful but yeah I struggled a lot but
I still had a great time and it was an
honor we were dropped off at the
Yokohama Chinatown and left to explore a
bit until dinner in a few hours everyone
separated into groups and Jacob Stefan
the guy that sent me all the sitting
cuties you guys remember him a guy named
Steve and I went and pursued the street
food a bit before stumbling into a
little arcade with a bunch of crane
machines I got this silly little bear
minifigure his name is Chico OB so I
decided to innocently carry him around
in my pocket for the entirety of the
trip you know because he was silly this
single action severely changed the
course of my mental stability going
forward you'll see soon enough but look
at these cute photos I got with them we
had a great dinner headed back to the
hotel got to hang out with with our good
old Pokémon Rival jit or yawn of it and
called it a night the next day we all
got to do some private shopping at the
Pokémon world's popup shop I'll just say
we bought way too much stuff that we
also don't regret in the slightest I
even got this video of Jacob grabbing
more and more sitting cuties as the
workers kept reorganizing them to keep
the display looking perfect we walked
out of there with three giant bags of
stuff but it's okay because remember we
anticipated this with our extra
suitcases which I I'm starting to wonder
if they are going to be enough but
surely we will come down we were then
all taken to the creatures offices you
know just the place where they make
Pokémon cards it was gorgeous in there
they had these awesome sculptures of
giant Pokémon cards with crystals and
all the walls were lined with 3D card
art it felt like I was in a building
with a lot of
significance because I was we got a tour
around the building met the TCG card
testers and were able to ask them
questions about their process even got
to have a little Q&A session with atushi
nagashima the game director of the
Pokémon TCG it was funny one of the
people in our group asked how they chose
which Pokémon to make cards for a good
question and then followed it up with I
really like Manti but there's only two
Manti cards that exist and the assistant
pulled up a list of all the Pokemon
Manti cards that have ever been created
and sure enough there were only two the
director chuckled and was essentially
like yeah sometimes Pokémon get lost in
the cracks we kind of just make cards of
Pokémon I like for example my favorite
Pokémon is Gengar and you know what that
actually makes a lot of sense also we
were able to have a Q&A session with the
Pokémon card art director and three
artists who actually draw art for the
cards that was super interesting and I
was so incredibly inspired by that
discussion but you know those Pokémon
cards with the super cute clay art that
artist's name is Yuka Mori and she was
in that panel I was so Star Struck those
are some of my favorite Pokémon cards
and not only that but she hosted a
little workshop for us where she gave us
clay and taught us how to make little
clay magnemites like in this card here
speaking of this card she brought the
actual original Magnemite for us to see
that was by far the coolest thing that
I've ever gotten to be a part of we got
to meet a piece of genuine history I
felt like I was meeting the President
also here's me and Jacob's magnemites
that we made day three of our little
Pokémon field trip and we were taken to
another Pokémon Center this time in
shabuya which was also right across from
a Nintendo store it was like a bullet
was shot through our credit cards in the
shopping center I saw a little gacha
machine with little miniature chicaa
plushes I was only interested in getting
choa but I decided to test my luck
anyway and I got him first try now I had
two of them yes the original was still
in my pocket you can safely assume he is
in my pocket for the entirety of this
video I've got pictures to prove it
Jacob snapped this awesome picture of
the chika brain rot taking over when we
were looking around in the Shonen Jump
shop a little Japanese boy pointed at
Jacob and went Sanji son before his
mother quickly yanked him away and I
still to this day laugh at that
interaction poor kid saw his first
blonde guy in real life and immediately
thought it was Sanji later that day we
also got to attend the Pokémon Symphony
where a live Orchestra played Pokémon
songs and it was absolutely incredible
video game orchestras are so cool it
always tugs on my heart strings to see
video game music transformed into such a
beautiful new art form highly recommend
attending one if you have any favorite
games or franchises onto the first day
of Worlds it was exciting people flooded
into the venue we watched the opening
ceremony in the crowd just wow this is
the whole reason why we're here we went
back to shopping look at this cute
little chck book I found in a nearby
bookstore at this point we were
absolutely pushing it in terms of
luggage space and we were day four into
a 2 and 1/2 week trip our shopping spree
until this point were very not Frugal so
we cut our losses and bought two extra
giant suitcases to fit everything better
okay we knew we were going to need extra
suitcases getting a few extra couldn't
hurt look the flights were paid for we
were still saving money at this point I
think that's my rationalization I'm
going with that also in the mall were
tons of Pokémon monitors straight up
playing the World Championships TCG
Pokémon go VGC Japan treated worlds like
it was the Super Bowl and and it was
just so cool to see one of my main
interests so culturally celebrated
people of all ages would stop by to
watch for a bit before going back to
their shopping I can't explain it but it
just made me very happy we even got to
see Wolfie live on the monitors how'd he
do uh he did great don't worry about it
nothing happened look we were just happy
to see our friend on the Pokeball screen
proud of you Wolfie you're so cool the
second day of Worlds was hype so hype
that we left Yokohama and flew to Osaka
I haven't mentioned it yet but actually
got tickets to see the one and only Hsu
Nam Miku live in concert the real ones
know how huge that is for me I want to
talk about how lifechanging that was but
I'm going to make a whole separate video
about that experience I'll be posting
next all I'm going to say is it was the
best day of my entire life bye a lot
subscribe now before you miss it just
saying I will mention we did have to
take the train to get back later that
night and got super lost again and we
never get better at it don't expect
anything to change in that regard we did
finally get back to Yokohama crashed for
the night and had a nice slow morning as
we got ready for finals later that day
to any one piece fans who are caught up
we were in Japan for the one piece anime
episode you know what I'm talking about
1072 we were able to turn on our hotel
TV and watch it live and that was so
cool I don't talk about how much I love
one piece much mainly because it doesn't
really come up but one piece is peak and
it was an honor to be in Japan at such
an iconic part of the manga and anime's
history anyway back to Pokémon sorry
about that we were able to watch the
final VGC match live got to chat and eat
dinner with Wolfie and some other
friends had a late night hangout with
Yan again and that was about it day
seven meant it was time to pack up all
our stuff from the hotel say goodbye to
Pokemon and Yokohama and head on over to
the apartment we rented for the rest of
our stay just outside of Tokyo at this
point we had filled up all six suitcases
and multiple backpacks I didn't mention
it but Pokémon gave us a truckload of
gifts that we genuinely had no idea what
to do with we're grateful nonetheless
thank you Pokémon but yeah the the taxi
ride was a bit awkward so are you
meeting up with some
friends no after we got situated in the
new place we decided to look around the
area and grab some lunch and I got to
say the little hole-in-the-wall
restaurant Jacob found was some of the
best ramen I've ever had ever they even
made it vegetarian for me which was
extremely kind of them food modifying is
a bit tricky in Japan compared to the
states so I was very very thankful and
it was delicious we then proceeded to do
absolutely nothing for the rest of the
day because we were exhausted from the
trip so far I haven't mentioned
absolutely everything we'd been doing on
the trip because it would be a lot of
first we did this and it was cool then
we did this and it was cool even though
it was such a pleasure to be invited I
was so dead and definitely looked super
not approachable or friendly to the rest
of the group by the end of it sorry guys
but neither time nor Japan stops for
anyone so we had to keep on chugging
along there were a bunch of friends we
wanted to see while in Japan and one of
them was Connor he wanted to take us to
what he deemed his favorite Italian
place ever I asked if it was like fancy
Italian to which I was given the answer
of no so we get there having a great
time and suddenly we realized junichi
massuda the director of game freak is
there having dinner not a fancy dinner
my ass I then look down to see the
Freddy Fazbear FNAF t-shirt that I am
wearing not the best Jaden moment to
exist but hey what can you do the food
was phenomenal though I already
mentioned the best ramen I've ever had
while on the trip but this was genuinely
the best pasta I've ever had in my
entire life maybe even a top three meals
ever for me I don't know what the other
two would be but that Conor place is
definitely up there the next day we went
to the one piece store in shabuya and
bought a lot of stuff because there was
a lot of topical and hype things in
there as you could imagine if you don't
get it go catch up and come back don't
worry it won't take too long my favorite
character is mihawk but out of all the
stuff the store had to offer there were
only a few stickers and a single
keychain for mihawk I'm still Ming about
that one I just want more mihawk is that
too much to ask for even this guy got
better merch the world's greatest
swordsman deserves better I guess I'll
just take my Zoro and law stuffff that's
cool too I suppose I also found found a
bunch of chicawa stuff in a kitty land
store and this is truly when you get to
see where things start going downhill
for me I just like the funny little
cartoon bear thing what is that such a
crime I don't remember what we did the
rest of the day I think we just crashed
and passed out this trip as surreal as
it's been so far has been absolutely
taking a toll on me and I desperately
needed to just not move or talk or exist
for a bit we were doing so many
different things that were all awesome
and hanging out with so many different
people that were all awesome but man I
am not built for extended periods of
that much excitement and socializing as