The time has come to say goodbye to Yokohama’s adorable Poké-postal infrastructure.
A while back, the postal service in the city of Yokohama, half an hour south of Tokyo, made the decision to install Pokémon mailboxes. With an adorable Pikachu pair, Eevee, and Piplup all equally ready to receive any letters that needed to be mailed or pose for pictures, the Poké-postal infrastructure quickly became sightseeing destinations for fans of the franchise.
But sadly, soon it’s going to be time to say goodbye, as the Pokémon mailboxes are scheduled to be removed in just a few weeks.
The three mailboxes were originally installed in July of 2021, when the Pikachu and Eevee units took their posts next to Yokohama City Hall and the Piplup box was placed at the entrance to the nearest post office, the Yokohama Sakuragi branch. At the time, the plan was only for them to be around for less than a year, with their removal initially scheduled for the end of June in 2022. If this seems like a ridiculous underestimation of just how beloved Pokémon is, especially in its home country, you’re exactly right, and after seeing the immensely positive response from residents and visitors, the decision was made to extend the Pokémon mailboxes service for an additional four years.
That extended time is ticking down, though, and while the Yokohama postal service doesn’t appear to have made a reconfirming statement that the Pocket Monsters are going away, they also haven’t made mention of any further extension. In other words, the Pokémon mailboxes are still scheduled for removal on this coming June 30, so if you want to see them, you’ll need to move quickly.
The closest rail stop to the mailboxes is Bashamichi Station on the Minato Mirai Line. The subterranean station actually connects to the basement of the city hall building, so visiting the Pikachus and Eevee is a snap, and from there it’s only a short walk to see Piplup too. We stopped by to say hi to all of them ourselves, and can walk you though the route we took here.
And if you can’t make it in time to see the mailboxes, you can at least comfort yourself by checking out Yokohama’s adorable Pokémon manhole covers if/when you are in the city.
Reference: Yokohama City Visitors Bureau
Photos ©SoraNews24
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