Ah, Japan: it giveth and it taketh away. Whenever a cool new collaboration event occurs, we're praying to our lucky stars that it gets announced globally so that we all get the chance to experience the magic. The stars, quite literally, don't yet seem to be on our side with TPC's latest event: the Pokémon Astronomical Observatory.
The official event page promises a special exhibition where Pokémon from across the Pokéverse will be showcased, with a particular emphasis on Pokémon in space. There will be three exclusive merchandise items, including a special observatory-themed Pikachu plush, with two items still to be announced. The plush is expected to cost 2,750 yen, or about $18.50 at the time of writing, which we think is really reasonable for such an exclusive item.
The event is currently only announced for Japanese attendees, or those who happen to be in Japan at some point from November 2025 through the end of 2026. Some dates and venues are still to be announced, but the official event page already gives a lot of information. Sanagawa Prefecture's Sagamihara City Museum will host the event from November 1, 2025, to January 12, 2026, before the exhibition moves on to the Tōhoku region.
At a guess, the Tōhoku venue could be in or around Sendai, the region's largest city. Either way, the venue will host the exhibition in spring and summer. After that, we're headed to the Toyohashi Museum of Natural History in fall, and the Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture in winter.
Plan accordingly then, if you plan to visit Japan next year, and keep an eye out for possible announcements for this event in other countries. Whether this event goes global or not, this is already great news for those who have already booked their Japanese Sakura blossom getaway, and great for those of us who might have been eyeing up a trip anyway…
For more Pokémon, check out our Pokédex, or Pokémon Go codes and Pokémon TCG Pocket codes for freebies, or if you're looking for more cool Nintendo collaborations, check out our review of the Animal Crossing x Sea Life event.