This Japanese Shrine Has Become An Unlikely Pokemon Go Pilgrimage

168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Pokemon Go has been through the wringer in recent years, but a dedicated fanbase remains. Niantic’s 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:anti-consumer changes and the 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:imminent sale to Scopely, a Saudi Arabian company known for its aggressive monetisation have turned legions of fa🌼ns away, yet the game remains hugely popular.

However, it’s no surprise that it’s better to play in some places than others. Big cities have always been hubs of activity, and 168澳洲幸运5开奖✱网:rural p𝔍layers are constantly overlooked. But earlier this year, I realised that it’s basically 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:a whole different game in Japan. I joined hordes of raiders in Brighton to catch Mewtwo when it first appeared. I 168澳洲幸运5开奖𒊎网:travelled to London to test out Routes when they were first introduced. On the opposite end of the spectrum, I’ve even dedicated myself to catching Pokemon in countries where the game is ban🦋ned, just to say🎉 that I hꦕave. Nothing hits like Japan.

Dialga next to a Team Go Rocket Grunt from Pokemon Go.

However, there are certain places within Japan that are more furious with Pokeꦚmon activity than Celadon City on Black Friday. Parts of Tokyo, for instance, are renowned for being filled with PokeStops and Gyms. Players head there from all over the world just to grind, gaining experience and stardust while soaking in the culture of the capital. Even when I went to relatively rural Sapporo, though, there was a more active Pokemon Go community than any I’ve seen in England for years.

Even more unusual, however, is PokePilgrimages to Fushimi Inari shrine in Kyoto. A tourist hotspot in its own right, this mountain path laid with hundreds 🔜of torii gates has seen an increase in Pokemon players heading there to catch rare spawns. But that’s where things get a little bit confusing.

A Rural Pilgrimage

catching a vulpix at fushimi inari shrine — Image courtesy of Nicholas Oyzon.

As I mentioned earlier, rural spots aren’t great for playing Pokemon Go. While the beauty of Fushimi Inari means there are more PokeStops than your average hill, it’s still not a🤪 top-tier place to grind. So why are players headin♚g there en masse to catch Pokemon?

I did some sleuthing and believe I’ve found the answer. As is 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:so often the case with these things, the answer lies in a YouTube channel. Nicholas Oyzon, who goes by the channel name , runs a YouTube channel dedicated to travel and Pokemon Go. Often the two intertwine, and he’s carved out a niche within a niche for himself. Trainer Tips is the Anthony Bourdain of Pokemon Go YouTubers. No, he’s never written an exposé on the game he plays (although he doesn’t hesitate to hold Niantic to account), but his cinematic style and focus on the places he visits and people who live there give his videos a more holistic nature than most. Much like Parts Unknown wasn’t really about the food, Trainer Tips’ YouTube videos aren’t really about the Pokemon.

Oyzon has an impressive 1.1 million subscribers, and I believe he has influenced them to head to Fushimi Inari shrine. Seven years ago, he caught mythical Pokemon Mew beneath those iconic torii gates, and countless others have followed in his footsteps. Personally, I’m 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:waiting until I find myself in Guyana to catch it, but I can see why fans of his channel are copying Oyzon’s choice of♔ 🥂location.

Catching, Together

Fushimi Inari has no special spawns of its own. You c💮ould pop a Dai🅘ly Adventure Incense and hope a Galarian bird shows up, but if your luck is anything like mine, you’ve got no chance of even encountering one, let alone catching it. However, you can save encounters with Mythical Pokemon, as they are found through Special Research tasks. That’s how I’m saving my Mew, and that’s how people guarantee that they encounter an impressive Pokemon in a beautiful location.

And players are saving them. Over the past year, Oyzon has started to run trips abroad with subscribers who get theඣ opportunity to travel with him as he records his videos. He’s missed a trick by not calling these Trainer Trips, but the first three of these trips were to Japan. Fans from across the world joined him to play Pokemon together, and many had saved their Special Research encounters to open at Fushimi Inari.

These are dedicated fans, clearly. They’ve paid thousands of dollars to spend a week with their YouTube hero. Of course they would be inclined to catch a P🌱okemon at the same spot he did all those y🌞ears ago. But yet more post online about their captures at the shrine. This isn’t limited to the fans who follow him across the globe.

With so many subscribers following his Pokemon Go travelogues, iಞt’s no surprise that Oyzon has had an impact on the habits of the most൩ hardcore players. If you watch Pokemon Go videos on YouTube, you probably know him. You’re also probably one of the game’s most committed players, if you’re actively watching videos about it when you’re not playing it.

But this is about more than fandom. This is a unique property of Pokemon Go that no other game can match. Pokemon Go is nothing without the IRL, in-person experiences. Think of your favourite moments in this game? Is it the remote raid you entered while sitting on the toilet? It’s far more likely it was playing Go Fest in a local park with other likeminded individuals. It’s trading for a regional exclusive. It’s bonding over missed shinies or failed captures. It’s ti𝓰me spent together.

Pokemon Go is a game rooted in community. Oyzon knows this, and that’s why his YouTube channel is so uniquely perfect for Pokemon Go. He showcases or those who are . It’s no wonder that his fans will follow him to the other side of the world in order to write a small part of the game’s communal lore. It’s not a siℱde effect of internet fame. It’s not an added bonus of playing Pokemon Go. It’s the whole point.