As soon as I laid my eyes on her, I could feel my heart attempt to tear away from the confines of my sweaty, shaking body. I could feel the blood pump violently through my veins. My face was flushed, my hands clammy. Suddenly parched, I tried to find the words to explain this feeling. This condition. But, this love can’t be expressed through words. No. This was different. Confession time: I fell in love with Ikebukuro’s Pokemon Center.
Yeah, there’s nothing to hide. I’m one of the biggest Pokemon fans you’ll ever meet. Ever since I’ve had my hands on those Gameboy cartridges, I was hooked. Lured by a world filled with electric rodents and slumbering giants, I spent most of my childhood daydreaming of a reality where these creatures really existed. And to be quite honest, I still do. We always crave for something extraordinary. Something new, something different. After all, maybe that’s why we study abroad. In fact, when I was very, very young, I was bullied by several upperclassmen at a Korean church (we’re all friends now, oddly enough). To endure it, I imagined as if they were gym leaders, people I had to overcome and defeat in order to push onward. I have a lot to be grateful for because of Pokemon. Those games helped me through some of the hardest times of my childhood.
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hat’s why I can’t “grow out of it.” It’s a part of who I am and like the dozens of children, teens, mothers and fathers who filled the Pokemon Center building, I can’t seem to shake off this infatuation with Pokemon. For those who don’t know what a “Pokemon Center” is, it’s basically a shop dedicated towards selling Pokemon related merchandise. There are several locations (one in New York, even), but the one I went too had been opened recently in the Sunshine City mall complex inside Tokyo. You immediately notice the hordes of people with their gaming handhelds, playing with each other and receiving digital gifts by Wi-Fi. In particular, I loved seeing a family of four, all with their handhelds out, enjoying each other’s company. It’s a testament to Pokemon’s timelessness: people young and old can find comfort in playing with their favorite digital creatures and with each other.
I wasn’t the only “foreigner” there, of course. People from all walks of life were there. The Pokemon Center had an international atmosphere about it, really. Tourists sometimes come to Japan with the sole purpose of visiting one of these stores. For me, visiting this place was just icing on the cake.
Sometimes I’m in awe of the fact of how long Pokemon’s popularity has lasted and is still lasting. Japan has a penchant for cute things (especially mascots), and you can see this clearly by the array of Pikachu dolls lining the walls. Perhaps Pokemon continues to live on because of how much money it makes. Yea, I’m guilty. I splurged here, but hey! It’s the Christmas season! Treat yo’self. Christmas is a time of giving. A time of giving to yourself—right?
After purchasing a soundtrack, artbook (I collect these) and a Christmas-themed doll (don’t judge, man), I left the shop with my friends. We may be hitting our mid-twenties, but we still feel young. Not to say that Pokemon is solely for children. Why enjoy things in childhood if you’re going to end up shunning them afterwards? It’s just that this sensation was mixed with a longing for simpler days. Days where we weren’t so concerned about our futures. Days that only held pursuits for trivial things. Days that contained lifetimes within themselves and refused to loom ominously over tomorrow.
Exchange occasionally prods at you with questions about your future. It’s inevitable. However, in my opinion, if we revisit the pleasures of our childhood, we can find comfort. While mapping out my life’s course, I make sure to dip my toes in the pool of those old memories to refresh myself. We may be adults, but honestly, most of us don’t know what the heck we’re doing. Hopefully, studying here in Japan will offer me some sort of clarity.
And more Pokemon.
Neat!