It looks like another rainy summer’s weekend for Fukuoka, but that doesn’t mean you have to stay at home. Japanese pop culture fans could do worse than to check out some of the events at JR Hakata City this weekend. First stop is Hakataekimae Hiroba where you’ll find a huge 9m tall inflated Pikachu bouncy castle. Kids can bounce inside of Pikachu (¥300/5min) or play fun Pokemon-themed games outside like “Fishing Stunfisk” (¥300/game) with cool prizes. Adults can take photos with the huge Pikachu too, on display until Aug. 17 (Sun.).
Next stop is the “Nyan Station” cat-themed pop-up shop on Hakata Hankyu’s 8F. You’ll find a selection of cat iPhone cases, bags, accessories, and more, plus booths to make cat toys and pottery from Aug. 17 (Sun.)~19 (Tue.). Miyawaka City’s cute cat-themed mascot “Sakura-chan” makes a special appearance at the “Nyan Station” on Aug. 16 (Sat) and 17 (Sun) too!
Finally there’s “Gacha Gacha World”, a collection of 300 capsule-toy vending machines on Hakata Hankyu 7F until Aug. 26 (Tue). Don’t dismiss this as an event for kids only – these toy vending machines have recently been marketed to appeal to adults too. The 300 vending machines are divided by section by gender and age, and range in price from ¥100~¥300. You’ll find funny toys like the “iPhone futon case”, character toys like Mickey Mouse, Rilakkuma, Anpanman and even some nostalgic characters such as “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”! There are also trivia stations where visitors can learn about gacha gacha (capsule toys)! Get your dose of J-pop culture and have a great weekend!
Pikachu FuwaFuwa
• 8/15 (Fri.) ~ 8/17 (Sun.), 10:00~17:00
• JR Hakataekimae Hiroba
• Free (¥300~¥500 per game)
• 092-431-8484
• 1-1 Hakataekichuogai, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka
• http://www.jrhakatacity.com/kids/event/#event197
Cat Station (にゃんこすてぃしょん)
• ~8/19 (Tue.), 10:00~20:00
• 8F Hakata Hankyu (Located on individual special event space ‘催場’)
• 092-461-1381
• 1-1 Hakataekichuogai, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka
• http://www.hankyu-dept.co.jp/hakata/event/index.html#nyanko
Gacha Gacha World (ガチャガチャワルード)
• ~8/26 (Tue.), 10:00~20:00
• Event Hall “MUZE” (ミューズ) on 7F in Hakata Hankyu
• 092-461-1381
• 1-1 Hakataekichuogai, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka
• http://www.hankyu-dept.co.jp/hakata/event/index.html#summrg
