PokePark 2005 was a temporary Pokémon-themed amusement park staged in Nagoya, Aichi, at the De La Fantasia site of the 2005 Japan International Exposition Sasashima Satellite Project.
It ran from March 18 to September 25, 2005, offered free admission with paid attractions. Most relevantly, it was the source of several promo cards distributed to attendees.
Admission & Edy Card System
Admission to the PokePark section of the expo was free for attendees, but each attraction cost money to ride. Prices generally ranged from 500 to 900 yen, with a handful of age and height restrictions; the ferris wheel was 800 yen, and the safari was the top-priced opening attraction at 900 yen.
Beyond the rides, sources also list the Pokémon Daisuki Club Stage, Pokémon Game Corner, Pokémon Fuwafuwa Kids, Pokémon Shop “R”, Nyarth’s Party Café, the Toys “R” Us PokePark Store, and the separate 109 Cinemas Nagoya film venue.
Each attraction required a PokePark-design Edy card, sold at the entrance and rechargeable around the grounds. Visitors without a card first had to line up at the Edy sales counter before actually entering.
Attractions
At opening, PokePark offered 12 core attractions: Lugia’s spinning ship, Pokémon Merry-Go-Round, Pichu Bros.’ Rascal Train, Battle Coaster Sky, Team Aqua vs. Team Magma Crash-Car Battle, Pikachu’s Forest, Pokémon’s Starry Sky Trip, Alto mare Sightseeing Boat, Dancing Pokémon Mini Tour, Pokémon Giant Ferris Wheel, Mudkip’s Splash Adventure, and Pokémon Exciting Safari.
There was also a 13th attraction that rewarded a promo card, which was the 109 Cinemas Nagoya move theater attached to the venue that showed a special 3D film.
Later on June 19, 2005 another attraction was added to support the an upcoming film, Walkthrough Adventure Lucario and the Mystery of Mew.
Each attraction rewarded attendees with a sealed promo card in a transparent cellopane pack. The card contained was unique to each attraction.
Lugia’s spinning ship
Cost: 500 yen
This was a spinning ride themed around Lugia protecting the sea.
Pokémon Merry-Go-Round
Cost: 600 yen
This carousel featured the legendary beasts Suicune, Entei, and Raikou
Pichu Bros.’ Rascal Train
Cost: 500 yen
This train took a short tour around a bunch of Pokemon figurines set around the park.
Battle Coaster Sky
Cost: 600 yen
A rollercoaster ride themed around Rayquaza and Deoxys battling in the sky.
Team Aqua vs. Team Magma Crash-Car Battle
Cost: 500 yen
Bumper car attraction where attendees got into either Kyogre or Groudon bumper cars.
Pikachu’s Forest
Cost: 600 yen
A spinning ride with Pikachus in a forest area.
Pokémon’s Starry Sky Trip
Cost: 600 yen
A spinning ride with chairs on long swings themed around Mythical Pokemon
Alto mare Sightseeing Boat
Cost: 600 yen
A swinging boat / gondola ride themed after Latios and Latias.
Dancing Pokémon Mini Tour
Cost: 500 yen
A small gondola ride with 10 different Pokemon dancing on display.
Pokémon Giant Ferris Wheel
Cost: 800 yen
Free access for ages 0–1, this large Poké Ball-themed ferris wheel offered panoramic views of the site
Mudkip’s Splash Adventure
Cost: 600 yen
This was a log run ride where visitors rode a Mudkip into a watery splash zone.
Pokémon Exciting Safari
Cost: 900 yen
Visitors received a Safari Ball fitted with an RFID tag and, within a time limit, used it to “catch” Pokémon by interacting with lit sensors. At exit, the system matched the Safari Ball to the entrant’s photo and printed a commemorative result sheet.
Pokémon 3D Adventure “Find mew!”
Cost: 900 yen
Ran from March 18 through September 25 at the 109 Cinema Nagoya attached to the venue. Screened approximately every 30 minutes, lasted about 11 minutes, and charged ¥900 for adults and ¥700 for children aged 3 through junior-high-school age.
Walk-Through Adventure Mew and the Hero of Waves Lucario
Cost: 900 yen
Added later in the season, this attraction opened on June 19, 2005, was tied to the movie releasing July 16, took about ten minutes to experience, cost ¥900, and was unavailable to children under three.
Other Merchandise
As with many theme parks, a large amount of merchandise was available for purchase at PokePark, as well as distributed via other channels.
Most well known are two 9-card folder sets, the green “Forest” folder and the blue folder. These were available for purchase at the parks themselves and at nearby retailers.
Additionally, Bandai Cardass “Adventure cards” were issued that featured artwork highlighting the various rides at the theme park, with the reverse combining into a single large image.
This artwork was also used for holographic postcards sold at the park
The logo for each ride was also made into pins, magnets, and keychains.
A commemorative pin set and frame was produced in a limited run of 1000 as well.
Multiple rides were also turned into toy sets
Rides were also made into small plastic keychains
There was also non-ride related merchandise, from hats, to hairbands, and more.
There was even a special Nintendo DS produced for the park.
Legacy
PokéPark 2005 left a sizable footprint despite its temporary nature. A retrospective business report put the cumulative attendance figure of at 4,158,167 attendees.
PokePark would later move to Taiwan in 2006 and would host the 2006 Champion’s League, the first time the event would be held outside Japan.
Nearly 20 years later, PokePark Kanto opened on February 5, 2026. PokéPark Kanto is a Pokémon-branded theme park within Yomiuriland, and is Pokemon’s first permanent theme park instead of a temporary travelling one.
Sources
- https://archive.org/details/pokeparkjapanbrochure/page/n3/mode/2up
- https://allabout.co.jp/gm/gc/80057/
- https://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/20050313/pokepark.htm
- http://poketetsu.web.fc2.com/fea20050502-2.html
- http://sahelnet.org/mt/2002/2005/09/post-388.html
- https://plaza.rakuten.co.jp/littleloversyou/6004/
