Real Pokemon Gym Built In Osaka, Japan
In the Pokemon games, Gyms are where you go to prove yourself and your training abilities. Once you’ve bested the Leader of each Gym, you’re given a badge. The more badges you have, the more respect you get in the Pokemon world.
First reported by the Japanese website Inside Games and later translated by Siliconera, a real Pokemon Gym — called the Pokemon Expo Gym — opens next month. Inside fans can meet in person, battle and trade with each other….or if your friends haven’t arrived yet, you can play arcade “training” games that will net you items useable in Pokemon X, Y, Omega Ruby or Alpha Sapphire.
They’re working on other reasons to go to the Gym. A special smartphone app is in development called the Pokemon Expo Gym Gear that will be tied to the Gym and will track your stats and ranking within. As for badges, who knows — nothing in the report said they could be earned, which begs the question if it can really be called a Gym then.
The Gym’s creator, Sanoyas Interaction, calls the building a “hands-on edutainment facility.” The Pokemon Expo Gym opens in Osaka on November 19.