Was the Best Part of My Epic Pokémon Adventure the Poké-Pals I Made Along the Way?

You’re reading the final chapter of my eight-day travelog recounting my unbelievable trip to Japan to cover the 2023 Pokémon World Championships.

If you already haven't, be sure to check out the other chapters:

Day 8 - Last Day in Japan

8:36 am - Pokémon Worlds is over and now it’s time to fly home. When I use the elevator down to the hotel lobby I’m surprised and delighted that pushing the close button actually closes the door. Will the wonders of Japan never end?

8:40 am - I hit up the breakfast buffet and have my final piece of early morning lasagna. I already know I’m going to miss it when I wake up tomorrow and three steaming layers of pasta, tomato sauce, and meat aren’t there to greet me.

8:45 am - I share a table with a man from the Pokémon Influencer group named Leo who is here from Brazil with his fiancé. They are going to stay in Japan for two more months and plan to move here eventually. I was quite intimidated by the prospect of coming to Japan at the start of my trip but after spending an amazing week here, I can see why they’d want to live here permanently. There’s a different flow to life here that’s quieter. Plus, they have hotels that serve lasagna for breakfast.

9:30 am - We arrive at Haneda airport on a shuttle and plan to stow our bags at a storage service so we can go exploring before our afternoon flights. Every luggage check service is completely full. With tons of people now departing after Worlds on top of normal airport traffic, I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise. We’re told there are baggage lockers at the far end of the airport so we trek over and are lucky enough to get the last ones available. I’m able to use the money on my Suica card I got on the first day to pay for the locker, so I’m glad to finally get some use out of it. We’re now free to go on one last little adventure in Japan.

10:42 am - Eric’s flight leaves later than the rest of the group’s so he decides to go to Disneyland Japan for the day. Part of me wants to join him because I’ve heard Japan’s two Disney parks are the best Disney has to offer, but I just don’t have enough time before my flight so I decide to go exploring a little closer to the airport. We wish Eric and the rest of the group well and go our separate ways. I’ve done many press trips to cover events around the world but I can’t remember ever forming such a fun bond with the other journalists over the course of the trip. It feels like we were all at summer camp and now it’s time to say goodbye. It’s true what they say about parting and sweet sorrow and all that.

11:01 am - We’ve got about four hours of free time, so we decide to take a train to Akibahara. I use my Suica card again to pay. My goal is to get it to zero balance before we leave. The trains in Japan are quiet. Barely anyone speaks and when they do it’s a whisper. Even my lowest speaking voice feels too loud so I decide to just keep quiet, which is a real struggle for a loudmouth like me.

[Editor’s Note: Err… no comment.]

11:50 am - We arrive at Ahkiabara Station and walk through the streets. I notice it’s way more commercial and that anime has a huge presence. We see a large advertisement truck decked out in lights and plastered with images of anime girls drive by blasting an anime song.

12:06 pm - We spot a wall of Pokémon TCG gacha machines and I try my luck on the one advertising an Iono full art card as a potential prize. It costs 500 yen and I get a Pawmot and Girafarig. The latter was a surprise Pokémon used in the VGC tournament so we take this as a good sign.

The most expensive, irresistable vending machine I've ever seen. (Photo by Joshua Yehl, IGN)

12:06 pm - Cody takes us to what he says is the best vegan ramen place in Japan, a tiny restaurant called Kyushu Jangara Tonkotsu Ramen. There’s a bit of a line but Cody says it’s worth it, so we wait about 30 minutes to be seated. They take our order in line and when they eventually seat us at a tiny little tucked away wooden table, the ramen comes out soon after. The place seats maybe ten people and is cramped yet still cozy and full of personality. It’s exactly the kind of place you’d imagine of when you think “authentic Japanese ramen.” I order the pork ramen with extra creamy broth and when it hits my lips it’s rich and salty and exploding with flavor. The meat is perfectly tender and melts in my mouth. It’s dead silent at our table except for loud slurping noises. It’s beyond good and easily the tastiest meal I’ve had in Japan, including 7/11 and non-stop breakfast lasagna. I’m glad we got to enjoy it as our last meal before leaving.

The best ramen I'll ever taste. (Photo by Joshua Yehl, IGN)

1:25 pm - On our way back to the train, we see a wall of gacha machines offering all kinds of little character figurines as prizes.

There’s Disney, Marvel, an assortment of anime I’ve never heard of, and, of course, a Pokémon one.

Obviously I'm going to do this one. (Photo by Joshua Yehl, IGN)

I try my luck with the Pokémon machine (natch), and I get a cute little Munchlax with a bowl of Poke-food.

1:30 pm - We’re really feeling the heat, so Cody recommends we stop at a vending machine for a bottle of Pocari Sweat, which is essentially an ion-restoring drink like Gatorade but not as sugary. It’s light and refreshing and I wish I had known about it on Day 1 of the trip instead of Day 8.

Full Restore. (Photo by Joshua Yehl, IGN)

1:35 pm - We walk back to the station, once again drenched in sweat, and we take the train back to the airport—and finally zero out my Suica card!

2:51 pm - We grab our bags from the lockers and I’m able to use my Suica card as the key to unlock it. These things are so handy. Should you find yourself visiting Japan, I can’t recommend them enough.

3:00 pm - We split up and begin the slow process of getting to our gates. Emphasis on slow. The lines to check in and drop off bags are really long, and the line to get through security has so many people it goes down the entire length of the airport and starts to wrap around. My feet are aching from walking around Japan for a week and I try to find new parts of my feet to stand on as I wait and wait and wait.

4:25 pm - We all finally get through to the other side and sit down near a vending machine with more peculiar snacks. I try a pastry stuffed with bacon and potato. It’s quite good. I’m gonna miss you, random Japanese snack food.

5:25 pm - It’s time to board our planes so we all say goodbye and go our separate ways. It’s bittersweet. I’ve had the time of my life but I admit I can’t wait to get home and sleep in my own bed. I reflect on the truly insane number of special things we saw and did, from going to Creatures and meeting The Pokémon Company COO to visiting a ceremonial tea house and watching the world’s best Pokémon players throw down in front of a cheering crowd. Like I said before, I’ve gone on dozens of trips to cover all sorts of things, but none come close in terms of the sheer volume of awesomeness this trip had to offer. They wanted to give us the full experience of Pokémon in Japan, and they wildly over-delivered. If it wasn’t for the weather, I’d say it was a near perfect trip, but then again, what’s a trip without almost going to the hospital for heat exhaustion?

I start to think less about the activities and merchandise and focus more on the people who I saw over the course of this week-long trip. I caught up with old friends, made lots of new ones, and enjoyed their company as together we experienced the most epic Pokémon adventure of a lifetime. Could it be that the real best part of Pokémon Worlds in Japan was… the friends we made along the way?

The Poké-Pals I Made Along the Way

Nah, it was definitely that fancy bento box.

Check out our other coverage on Pokémon Worlds:

Disclaimer: The Pokémon Company International covered expenses for travel, hotel, and some meals and activities mentioned in this piece, in addition to giving us a Pokémon swag bag and a souvenir tea set.