Pokemon Traditional Crafts Exhibition Opens in LA

Japan House in LA opened an exhibition combining Pokemon with traditional Japanese crafts. “Pokemon X Kogei – Playful Encounters of Pokemon and Japanese Craft” is a new exhibition featuring Pokemon themed work by a selection of traditional Japanese artists. The exhibition will be open until January 7, 2024. There’s also a special kimono Pikachu plush at the Pokemon Center for $29.99 in honor of it.

Pieces in the exhibition include the Pokemon Sun and Moon starters stencil-dyed on silk cloth, a ceramic jar with Charizard merged into it, and a Jolteon made from copper pieces shaped like lightning bolts. Twenty artists have been commissioned to produce around seventy pieces for the exhibit. These pieces were made with a range of traditional materials and media, including textiles, ceramics and metalwork. They have been supported by the National Crafts Museum in Kanazawa and The Pokemon Company.

The exhibit will be open for walk-in attendees depending on foot traffic, but free tickets can be reserved ahead of time with up to five guests per booking. Reservations up until August 31, 2023, with later months each opening up at the start of the previous month. Reservations for September will open on August 1, 2023, for example.

Japan House will also be selling a limited-edition Official Exhibition Book through their WAZA Shop for $48. It will also be available online. Pokemon Center locations in the US, Canada and UK will also be stocking a celebratory Pikachu plush for the first time outside Japan. As for the plush Pikachu in a kimono, it is available online only. It stands at almost nine inches tall.

“Pokemon X Kogei – Playful Encounters of Pokemon and Japanese Craft” is open to visit now at Japan House LA. It will run until January 7, 2024.