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Pokèmon GO Returns to Fukushima With Support Chansey in Tow
posted on by Lynzee Loveridge
Niantic's Pokèmon GO mobile game will return to Japan's Fukushima Prefecture for a limited-time event. A Pokémon Company representative announced at a signing ceremony on February 18 that Chansey will appear more frequently in the area as a support Pokémon to support tourism in the tsunami-affected area.
Chansey was chosen because it's a Pokémon that brings happiness and connects with the kanji "fuku" from Fukushima, which translates to "good fortune." Fukushima and Pokémon Company's contract will last until March 2021. Starting on March 16, a tourism walk event in Fukushima will launch to take participants to 25 areas in the prefecture in search of Chansey.
The Pokémon will appear on regional product packaging including Fukushima peaches. More Pokèmon GO events are also in the works.
Niantic's previous Pokémon Go event in Fukushima drew over 10,000 visitors hoping to catch Lapras in 2016. The event was cut short due to a tsunami warning. One of the event's stated goals was to boost the economy of the areas hit hardest by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.
The company has held similar tourism-driven events in Tottori prefecture, including one event in 2017 that drew 87,000 attendees.
Source: NHK
