Tokyo: PokePark Kanto, the first permanent theme park based on the popular Japanese video game series Pocket Monster, or Pokemon, opened inside the Yomiuriland amusement park straddling Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture on Thursday. The new facility comprises two areas - a forest area where guests can interact with Pokemon characters and a town area with attractions such as shows and rides. Visitors can find more than 600 characters in the two areas.

According to Philippines News Agency, Kenjiro Ito, chairman of the facility operator, expressed his happiness during the opening ceremony, noting that the launch coincides with the 30th anniversary of Pokemon. The ceremony featured a ribbon-cutting event with well-known characters Pikachu and Eevee.

Many visitors were eager to experience the new park, lining up before the facility opened its gates at 10 a.m. A woman in her 30s from Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo, shared her excitement, stating that she had been looking forward to the day.