My son is ten now and we live in Japan. As a Mom, I'm not too worried about leaving him alone at the Pokemon Center to window shop for himself. This being Japan, however, I am worried about him getting lost in the huge crowds. So after much deliberation, I figured I should hang out with him here at the Pokemon Center here in Fukuoka. I do confess that after 20 minutes I was pretty much going out of my mind, and said to him point blank, "OK, Jojo, time for us to get a move on," but his look of distress made it clear that physical prodding and subsequent brooding would be what I would have needed to endure to get him out of there.
Luckily, they were letting customers play the newest game incarnation, Pokemon Black and White, that day and I waited in line for 10 minutes to play it myself, which I did for 15 minutes before the man in charge made hints that I should probably let people smaller than myself have a chance.
For me, the game is the only aspect of the Pokemon phenomena that excites me. I think they have a half-baked story full of interesting but extremely limited Pokemon that really doesn't make much sense or go anywhere.
Now, my son also is not a big fan of the story; I'm not sure what it is about Pokemon that fascinates him so much (I can't help but think that kids are infusing their own imagination into the story and are maybe secret 'trainers,' a modern equivalent to the dragon slayer). In any case he loves the Pokemon plush toys (plushies or Pokemon stuffed toys) though I'm not sure why. Maybe to get a Pokemon stuffed toy is to kind of capture one with a Pokeball. In any case I'm neither a stingy or indulgent parent, which usually means that though he may really want a plushie, he won't get one and ends up settling for cards.
He loves the card game though and will get me to buy him the Pokemon Black and White cards whenever he can. These haven't arrived in used shops in numbers, but he can still get his hands on (and spend his allowance) Legendary Pokemon cards, promo Pokemon cards, and holofoil cards. He and his friends can spend an intense hour or two on card gaming, though they don't seem so interested in the console game (that's more up my alley).
It is generally thought that women love to shop and men don't but that equation doesn't include children and hobbyists. Getting my son out of the Pokemon Center, and hoping that he will forget that there is a Pokemon Center, are hopeless prospects. Pokemon is sure a hit.
This article was written by Dinah Jackson who is a huge Pokemon fan. To find the rarest Japanese Pokemon items, check out the store that has every kind of Pokemon plush that you can imagine. Also an incredible selection of Pokemon figures, charms, straps, plush toys, pokedolls, keychains, binders, deck boxes, sleeves, plush toys, and just about anything you can imagine. Delivered right to your front door from Japan.
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