Since 2021, Yokohama City’s Naka Ward has been home to Pokémon-themed postboxes inspired by three iconic characters. Recently, Pokémon fans saved these famous pieces of civic decor from removal by the region’s government.
Per the Mainichi Shimbun, Yokohama City’s “Pokémon Post” features three bright red postboxes topped by statues of Pikachu, Eevee and Piplup. While the Poke trio has delighted visitors for several years, the city originally planned to remove the postboxes on June 30, 2026. This abruptly changed after officials noticed a sharp increase in visits, which demonstrated just how integral the postboxes had become to the region’s identity.
Japan’s Pokémon Mailboxes Featuring Pikachu, Eevee and Piplup Extended Until 2027
The Pikachu and Eevee postboxes are located at the City Hall building in Naka Ward, while Piplup’s is located at the Yokohama Sakuragi Post Office. Although the expiration date was not publicized, fans seemingly discovered it anyway, prompting an influx of morose social media posts from local residents.
“It would be a shame to lose something so wonderful,” stated Tatsuya Mukoda and his wife, Kaho, who traveled all the way to Yokohama from Japan’s Osaka Prefecture to take a series of commemorative photos with the postboxes.
Pokémon-themed civic structures are not unique to the Yokohama area. For at least a decade, the Pokémon Company has been involved in public renovation and revitalization projects across the country. Earlier this year, Pokémon donated six new manhole covers to an area in the Noto Peninsula that was heavily damaged during a major earthquake several years ago. For this initiative, Pokémon utilized specific characters such as Greninja, Politoed, Darumaka and others to spotlight sights and attractions unique to the region.
As of July 1, 2026, the installation deadline for all three postboxes has been extended by one year — much to the delight of Pokémon fans, who left public comments such as, “I hope it stays there forever” on various social media outlets. Incidentally, this decision also coincides with Pokémon‘s ongoing 30th-anniversary celebration, which is bringing tons of new releases and goodies to fans everywhere.
CBR Exclusive · Quiz WHICH STARTER POKÉMON ARE YOU? Professor Oak Is Ready for Your Answer The lab is silent. Three Poké Balls sit on the table. Grass, Fire, or Water — the choice has always been more than a type. It’s a personality. A worldview. A way of facing every route ahead. Fifteen questions. No wrong answers. Just the one that was always yours.
🌿GRASSBulbasaur
🔥FIRECharmander
💦WATERSquirtle
⚡ELECTRICPikachu
⚪
01
Your friends are setting off on a journey. You: Every trainer’s journey reveals their true nature.
02
How do you approach a Pokémon battle? The battlefield shows who you really are.
03
What’s your greatest strength as a trainer? Every champion has the trait that carries them furthest.
04
Your rival keeps beating you. How do you respond? How a trainer handles loss defines their ceiling.
05
Your favorite area in the Pokémon world? A trainer’s favorite terrain says everything.
06
How do you build your Pokémon team? Six slots. Infinite possibilities. One philosophy.
07
Your Pokémon is ready to evolve. But you love it as it is. You: Growth is complicated. A trainer’s choice reveals their values.
08
Your biggest weakness as a trainer is: Even the greatest Champions have one.
09
Why do you actually want to be a Pokémon Master? The “why” behind the journey is what carries you through.
10
You encounter a Legendary Pokémon in the wild. You: The rarest moments define the greatest trainers.
11
Someone describes your trainer style. Which fits? Other trainers always remember who you are.
12
Your starter has just fainted in a Gym battle. You: The hardest moment in any trainer’s journey.
13
What does catching Pokémon mean to you? The philosophy behind the Poké Ball says everything.
14
After you become Champion, what’s next? The end of one journey is always the beginning of another.
15
The Elite Four awaits. Your final thought before you walk in: This is the moment every route has been leading to.
PROFESSOR OAK HAS SPOKEN YOUR STARTER HAS BEEN CHOSEN
Your scores appear below. The Pokémon with the highest number is your match. Read their description to learn which starter the universe always intended for you.
🌿 Bulbasaur
GRASS
🔥 Charmander
FIRE
💦 Squirtle
WATER
⚡ Pikachu
ELECTRIC
Patient, dependable, and quietly formidable. You don’t rush headlong into anything — you grow into it. While others sprint for the horizon, you’re already laying the groundwork that makes you impossible to stop in the long run. People underestimate you because you don’t announce yourself, and that is exactly your advantage. You carry your power without showing off, and when you finally bloom, there’s nobody in Kanto who can match you.
Fierce, ambitious, and burning with a purpose that never goes out. You came into this world with something to prove, and every Gym badge, every victory, every hard loss only adds fuel. You push harder than anyone around you and ask your team to rise with you — and somehow, they always do. The flame on your tail is not just a warning; it’s a promise. That the fire inside you will not dim until you’ve become everything you were always meant to be.
Cool under pressure and fiercely loyal to the people and Pokémon around you. You adapt without losing yourself — like water, you find a path through every obstacle without needing to smash through it. Friends know they can count on you when it matters, and your quiet steadiness has carried more than one battle that looked already lost. You don’t need to be the loudest voice in the room. Your presence is enough, and the people around you have always known it.
Magnetic, spirited, and impossible not to root for. You don’t have a master plan — you have something rarer: a spark that draws people and Pokémon to your side and makes them believe the journey is worth it. You face every challenge with a grin and a bolt of energy that refuses to be extinguished. The world of Pokémon was made for trainers like you — the ones who find the adventure in every tall patch of grass, every stranger on the road, every thunderstorm over the plains.
The anniversary has spearheaded The Pokémon Company International (TCPi) to embrace many new initiatives designed to bring the joy of Pokémon to as many people as possible. In June 2026, the Pokémon Center launched its first-ever pet accessory line, which includes collars, leashes, pet bowls, pet beds and other assorted goods decked out with never-before-seen Pokémon artwork. While not explicitly listed as a 30th anniversary release, the “Playful Partners” series still represents a novel departure from the company’s standard product releases.
Many of Pokémon’s other 30th anniversary releases are inspired by the video games, starting with PokémonRed, Blue and Green. In addition to a new Casio collaboration and a massive apparel collection inspired by three decades of iconic box art, the franchise is also going back to its roots with a special hardcover edition of the Pokémon Adventures manga. Vol. 1 of Pokémon Adventures: Red & Blue, Deluxe Edition will be released in bookstores throughout North America on Oct. 27, 2026.
