Local Hangouts and Pokémon

As evidenced by the multitude of Japanese and cosplay events held in my town over the course of a year - many of which I've detailed here and several of which are still to come - Japanese interests are (heavily) present among many people in town, and that includes me, for which Pokémon is my greatest interest. It would then be expected that some people could take advantage of these interests and open up hangouts that cater to fans of Japanese things... and they do. I've got a couple of hangouts in town where I can somehow show my interests for Pokémon.

The most frequent hangout I go to is a café that was originally designed so that people could read comics (both western and manga) as they have bites to eat, but it has since expanded to have board games and console games as well. Certainly, Pokémon is a part of the action; one of the sets of manga present is the early Pokémon manga. On the console games front, which is partially hosted by the local game community, included in the consoles they have available for play are the Wii U and Switch, the latter of which they recently acquired, and this means these consoles are open for Pokkén Tournament. In fact, they do possess the game for the Wii U. It is this console and this game that formed the basis of my initial experience as detailed in my thoughts on the game. They also possess a Pokémon figure on their shelves, which adds to the welcoming quality for Pokémon things. Even that first (...and only one so far) local tournament was held in this very place. As if that wasn't enough, I've even brought my Pokémon cosplay to this place on a couple of occasions when cosplay became a part of event proceedings. Overall, I'm pretty happy to go and come to this café to do and enjoy Pokémon things.

Less frequent is another café that was conceived somewhat differently; instead of comics, this café is influenced by anime. Fans of anime are welcome here, and that would include me as a fan of the Pokémon anime. This café can and does lend itself well to cosplay, but I've only come close to doing this for different reasons, unlike at the other hangout where I've actually cosplayed. This café started later than the above and it's also much smaller, only offering food and places to sit, but that doesn't mean things can't get lively, especially when its owner also allows get-togethers related to anime and cosplay. I have high hopes of this café, and I look forward to the moment when I can actually cosplay here. In the meantime, I think I can still bring other Pokémon things and have fun at this place.

It's always a pleasure to be able to take my interest in Pokémon to different places, and these two local places are the ticket to that. They've become great hosts for people with Japanese interests, of which Pokémon is certainly included. In turn, they become great places to share Pokémon as something that I like very much with other places. I'm especially thankful for the people who have as much Japanese interests as I have and started these places, and it is my hope that we continue to have good relationships that also allow us to exhibit our respective major interests - Pokémon, in my case.