Pokémon GO is a game that can change a lot – depending on where you play it. However, the difference from Germany to Japan was something that MeinMMO author Max Handwerk did not expect.
You probably know the feeling: you’re on vacation or a little trip, and just curious how Pokémon GO looks here.
I love making these comparisons and thought I had seen every situation.
- I made my first steps in Pokémon GO in a tiny village with no noteworthy stops and gyms.
- Later, I moved to Hamburg and found plenty of POIs and fellow players in the city park.
- Just recently, while hiking in the Thuringian Forest, I encountered the situation of basically having no gyms and stops at all.
- Currently, I live in Hannover, where at least there is a reasonable distribution of gyms, stops, and fellow players.
As I said: I thought no stop situation could surprise me any longer.
But then I went to Japan for a week as part of the Pokémon World Championships. And what awaited me in Tokyo and Yokohama – I did not expect.
So many stops that you can barely click properly
Not only did Yokohama gradually become Pokémon City over the week and an absolutely contagious Pokémon enthusiasm developed: Pokémon GO also had a prevalence that I had not known before.
To make it short: there were simply so many PokéStops and gyms that you could hardly play properly. Everything was so ridiculously close together that you constantly clicked on the wrong thing when you wanted to tap somewhere. If you’re used to just a handful of stops nearby, it’s crazy to suddenly have so many options.
You can see what it looked like here:
For a player like me, who knows significantly fewer stops from Germany, it was like a Pokémon GO paradise. I don’t know exactly how much XP and Pokémon I collected during this time – but it was a lot.
But it didn’t stop with stops and gyms. Overall, Japan felt like a bonus level in Pokémon GO, because everything was so much easier. Raids that I can’t manage at home because of missing players were completed here within seconds because the lobbies were so full.
You clicked into a raid and suddenly had around 20 fellow players without even having to organize anything. The event Pikachu collapsed after three seconds, Cresselia didn’t last much longer. At the event site of the Worlds, I was less surprised by that – but even in the city, I experienced such situations. It was dreamlike.
Another example: the routes. While I can hardly find routes at home, in Japan I could sometimes choose from 18 at once. It was impressive how many players had seemingly made sure to distribute the new feature across the city.
What was challenging, however, was taking gyms, or earning coins. New challengers showed up so quickly that the Pokémon barely lasted long enough in the gym to bring home even 10 coins.
It was an impressive trip, as it showed me how the game can feel when you have a huge community present. It’s a pity that it usually only works in a similar way here during big events.
What was the best place you have ever played Pokémon GO? Tell us in the comments!
And speaking of big events: Soon the global GO Fest in Pokémon GO is coming up.
