Pokémon world in relation to the real world

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This article contains fan speculation. There is no solid evidence for or against some parts of this article.

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The map of Japan showing the four main Japanese Pokémon regions.

The design of the four major Pokémon regions, Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh, are strikingly similar in geography and demographics to regions in the real world, specifically those of Japan. It is possible that the Pokémon world is a parallel world to our own.

Main Regions

Kanto

The Kantō region of Japan is not only identical in name to Kanto in the Pokémon world, it is also very similar geographically; however, the western part of the game Kanto corresponds to eastern Chūbu.

Pokémon world	Specific location		Prefecture		Comments
Pallet Town	下田市	Shimoda City	静岡県	Shizuoka	Pallet Town is based on Satoshi Tajiri's hometown Machida City in his boyhood, abundant in nature.
Viridian City	South Yamanashi		山梨県	Yamanashi
Viridian Forest	?		?
Pewter City	前橋市	Maebashi City	群馬県	Gunma	Maebashi is the capital of the Gunma prefecture. In a neighboring of the city of Midori, there is the famous Iwajuku archeological site and the Iwajuku Museum.
Mt. Moon	赤城山	Mount Akagi	群馬県	Gunma	Mt. Akagi features a crater lake near the summit
Cerulean City	さいたま市	Saitama City	埼玉県	Saitama	Saitama is bordered in the west by the Arakawa River.
Vermilion City	横浜市	Yokohama City	神奈川県	Kanagawa	Yokohama is the largest seaport in Japan.
Power Plant	東海発電所	Tōkai Nuclear Power Plant	茨城県	Ibaraki	The first commercial nuclear power plant in Japan.
Lavender Town			茨城県	Ibaraki
Celadon City	新宿	Shinjuku	東京都	Tōkyō	Shinjuku is the commercial center of Tokyo.
Saffron City	丸の内	Marunouchi	東京都	Tōkyō	Marunouchi is the business center of Tokyo, even of Japan.
Magnet Train station	東京駅	Tōkyō Station	東京都	Tōkyō	The Tokyo Station is a train station located in Marunouchi in which the Tōkaidō Shinkansen, bullet train line that runs from Tokyo to Osaka, passes through.
Fuchsia City	館山市	Tateyama City	千葉県	Chiba
Kanto Safari Zone	富士箱根伊豆国立公園	Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park	山梨県、静岡県、神奈川県、東京都	Yamanashi, Shizuoka, Kanagawa, and Tokyo
Cycling Road	東京湾アクアライン	Tōkyō Bay Aqua-Line			It connects Kawasaki City and Kisarazu City over Tokyo Bay. It was under construction when Pokémon Red and Green were released.
Cinnabar Island	伊豆大島	Izu-Ōshima	東京都	Tōkyō	Oshima is famous for Mt. Mihara, an active volcano.

Sevii Islands

The Sevii Islands are based on two archipelagos off the coast of Tokyo: the Izu Islands (伊豆諸島) and the Bonin Islands (小笠原諸島).

Pokémon world	Specific location		Prefecture		Comments
Knot Island	新島、神津島、式根島、利島	Niijima, Kōzushima, Shikinejima and Toshima	大島支庁	Oshima
Kindle Road	新島	Niijima
Treasure Beach	神津島	Kozushima
Mt. Ember	利島宮塚山	Mt. Miyatsuka, Toshima Island
Boon Island	三宅島、御蔵島	Miyakejima & Mikurajima	三宅支庁	Miyake
Kin Island	八丈島、八丈小島	Hachijōjima & Hachijōkojima	八丈支庁	Hachijō
Berry Forest	八丈小島	Hachijōkojima
Three Isle Port	底土港	Sokodo Port
Floe Island	青ヶ島	Aogashima	八丈支庁	Hachijō
Chrono Island	聟島列島	Mukojima Islands	小笠原支庁	Ogasawara	All are uninhabited.
Water Labyrinth	西之島	Nishinoshima
Resort Gorgeous	中ノ島	Nakanoshima
Lost Cave	笹魚島	Sasauojima
Memorial Pillar	媒島	Nakoudojima
Fortune Island	父島列島	Chichijima Islands	小笠原支庁	Ogasawara	The small islands to the north of Chichijima include Anijima (兄島) and Otōtojima (弟島), among others.
Ruin Valley	父島	Chichijima
Green Path	兄島	Anijima
Outcast Island	弟島	Otōtojima
Quest Island	母島列島	Hahajima Islands	小笠原支庁	Ogasawara	The small islands to the south of Hahajima include Anejima (姉島) and Imōtojima (妹島), among others.
Navel Rock	鳥島	Torishima	八丈支庁	Hachijō	Known as the habitat of albatross.
Birth Island	南鳥島	Minami Torishima	小笠原支庁	Ogasawara	The easternmost island belonging to Japan.

Johto

In Japan, the Kanto region is often contrasted with Kansai, which is like Johto, to the west. However, Johto is geographically more similar to the combined region of Kansai and western Chubu.

Pokémon world	Specific location		Prefecture		Comments
Mt. Silver	富士山	Mount Fuji	—
New Bark Town	静岡市 or 浜松市	Shizuoka City or Hamamatsu City	静岡県	Shizuoka
Cherrygrove City	名古屋市	Nagoya City	愛知県	Aichi	Nagoya is the third largest city following Osaka.
Violet City	奈良市	Nara City	奈良県	Nara	Nara is where Japan as a state began; Kyoto City is also nearby, and is home to a number of prestigious universities.
Sprout Tower	法隆寺五重塔	Hōryū-ji Five-story pagoda	奈良県	Nara	Hōryū-ji Pagoda and Kondō are the oldest wooden structures in existence in the world.
Ruins of Alph	明日香村	Asuka Village	奈良県	Nara	There are many archaeological sites in Nara such as Ishibutai Kofun (石舞台古墳) and Takamatsuzuka Tomb (高松塚古墳).
Azalea Town	みなべ町	Minabe Village	和歌山県	Wakayama	Minabe is famous for its high-quality Japanese apricots, known as ume, and high-quality charcoal, known as Binchotan.
Goldenrod City	大阪市	Ōsaka City	大阪府	Ōsaka	Osaka is the most populous city in the Kansai region.
National Park	明治の森箕面国定公園 or 万博記念公園	Meiji no Mori Minoo Quasi-National Park or Expo Memorial Park	大阪府	Ōsaka	In the Expo Park is a famous monument called the Tower of the Sun.
Goldenrod Radio Tower	通天閣	Tsutenkaku	大阪府	Ōsaka	Tsutenkaku is one of the most popular landmarks in Osaka.
Ecruteak City	京都市	Kyōto City	京都府	Kyōto	Kyoto was formerly the imperial capital.
Burned Tower	金閣	Kinkaku	京都府	Kyōto	Kinkaku was set on fire by a monk in 1950 (金閣寺放火事件). The wall is covered with gold leaf. Atop the Kinkaku temple sits a golden statue of a rooster or phoenix (Ho-Oh).
Bell Tower	銀閣	Ginkaku	京都府	Kyōto	Ginkaku is not covered with silver leaf. Atop the Ginkaku temple rests the likeness of a bird (Lugia).
Olivine City	神戸市	Kōbe City	兵庫県	Hyōgo	Kobe is the major port city in the Kansai region. Kobe is also well known for wagyū, or Kobe beef.
Glitter Lighthouse	和田岬	Cape Wada	兵庫県	Hyogo
Whirl Islands	淡路島	Awajishima	兵庫県	Hyōgo	The Naruto Strait, Between Awajishima and Shikoku, is famous for its whirlpool (Naruto whirlpool).
Cianwood City	鳴門市	Naruto City	徳島県	Tokushima	Naruto is where Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. began.
Mt. Mortar	比叡山	Mount Hiei	—
Mahogany Town	甲賀市	Kōka City	滋賀県	Shiga	Koka was classified as a town when the game was released. Koka is where the famous Koga Ninja were born and educated (Kōga-ryū, 甲賀流).
Lake of Rage	琵琶湖	Lake Biwa	滋賀県	Shiga	Lake Biwa is the largest lake in Japan.
Blackthorn City	白川郷	Shirakawa	岐阜県	Gifu	Shirakawa is known as a hidden region, relating to Blackthorn's Japanese name, Fusube, which roughly means 'hidden area'
Dragon's Den	伊吹山	Mt. Ibuki			"Ibuki" is also the Japanese name of Clair.

Hoenn

Hoenn is based on the southernmost parts of Japan - Kyūshū and Okinawa - with the latter highly condensed. (The distance between the northernmost and southernmost points of Okinawa is about as large as the distance between the northernmost and southernmost points of Honshu, the mainland of Japan.)

Pokémon world	Specific location		Prefecture		Comments
Littleroot Town	伊万里市 or 佐世保市	Imari City or Sasebo City	長崎県	Nagasaki or Saga	The United States Navy has operated a base in Sasebo since the end of World War II.
Oldale Town	佐賀市	Saga City	佐賀県	Saga
Petalburg City	福岡市	Fukuoka City	福岡県	Fukuoka	Fukuoka is the biggest city on Kyushu.
Rustboro City	北九州市	Kitakyushu City	福岡県	Fukuoka	Kitakyushu's main industry is steelmaking. It is also home to Zenrin, a company specializing in navigation software.
Dewford Town	対馬	Tsushima Island	長崎県	Nagasaki
Slateport City	長崎市	Nagasaki City	長崎県	Nagasaki	During the Edo period, among Europeans only the Dutch were allowed into Japan, and then only at Nagasaki, specifically, Dejima. The main industry is shipbuilding.
Mauville City	熊本市	Kumamoto City	熊本県	Kumamoto
Verdanturf Town	菊池市	Kikuchi City	熊本県	Kumamoto
Mt. Chimney	阿蘇山	Mount Aso	熊本県	Kumamoto	The largest active volcano in Japan.
Lavaridge Town	阿蘇町	Aso Town	熊本県	Kumamoto	Aso is home to at seven onsen, or hot springs (阿蘇温泉郷).
Meteor Falls	羽門の滝	Udo Falls	大分県	Ōita	There is a legend of a white dragon.
Fallarbor Town	大分市	Ōita City	大分県	Ōita
Fortree City	North Miyazaki		宮崎県	Miyazaki
Scorched Slab	天岩戸	Amano-Iwato	宮崎県	Miyazaki	Amano-Iwato is where Amaterasu shut herself up in Japanese mythology.
Mt. Pyre	桜島	Sakurajima	鹿児島県	Kagoshima	Sakurajima is an active volcano, formerly an island. Volcanic activity continues, dropping large amounts of ash in the region.
Lilycove City	鹿屋市	Kanoya City	鹿児島県	Kagoshima
Mossdeep City	種子島	Tanegashima	鹿児島県	Kagoshima
Mossdeep Space Center	種子島宇宙センター	Tanegashima Space Center	鹿児島県	Kagoshima
Sootopolis City	屋久島	Yakushima	鹿児島県	Kagoshima	The landscape of Sootopolis City is based on Santorini, Greece.
Ever Grande City	那覇市	Naha City	沖縄県	Okinawa	Despite the distance from Kyushu to Naha, the shape of the Okinawa main island is strikingly similar, although upside down.
Mirage Island	八重干瀬	Yaebishi	沖縄県	Okinawa	Yaebishi appears above the sea on March 3 by the lunisolar calendar.
Pacifidlog Town	八重山諸島	Yaeyami Islands	沖縄県	Okinawa	Ishigaki Island, located in the Yaeyami Islands, contain rare blue corals. The islands of Okinawa Prefecture are home to many coral reefs
Sealed Chamber	与那国島	Yonaguni	沖縄県	Okinawa	Underneath the water's surface, ancient stone structures were found to be artificially created

Sinnoh

Sinnoh has been said to be an island like Hoenn, rather than a peninsula. It is based on the northernmost major island of Japan, Hokkaido. Part of Sakhalin (Japanese: 樺太 Karafuto) and Kunashir Island (Japanese: 国後島 Kunashiri Island), territories which are in dispute between Russia and Japan, are also included.

Pokémon world	Specific location		Subprefecture		Comments
Twinleaf Town	登別市	Noboribetsu City	胆振支庁	Iburi
Lake Verity	洞爺湖	Lake Tōya	胆振支庁	Iburi
Sandgem Town	苫小牧市	Tomakomai City	胆振支庁	Iburi
Jubilife City	札幌市	Sapporo City	空知支庁	Sorachi	Sapporo is the largest city in Hokkaido.
Oreburgh City	夕張市	Yūbari City	空知支庁	Sorachi
Oreburgh Mine	夕張炭鉱	Yūbari Mine	空知支庁	Sorachi
Valley Windworks	苫前町	Tomamae Town	留萌支庁	Rumoi	Tomamae is famous for its windmills in the countryside.
Eterna City	旭川市	Asahikawa City	上川支庁	Kamikawa
Mt. Coronet	蝦夷山系	Ezo Mountain Chain			Ezo Mountain Chain consists of the Teshio Mountains (天塩山地), the Kitami Mountains (北見山地), the Ishikari Mountains (石狩山地), the Yubari Mountains (夕張山地), and the Hidaka Mountains (日高山脈).
Hearthome City	帯広市	Obihiro City	十勝支庁	Tokachi
Solaceon Town	足寄町	Ashoro Town	十勝支庁	Tokachi	One of Ashoro's main industries is farming.
Veilstone City	網走市	Abashiri City	網走支庁	Abashiri	Abashiri is famous for the prison (網走刑務所).　It is also a major port city.
Celestic Town	北見市	Kitami City	網走支庁	Abashiri
Sendoff Spring	摩周湖	Lake Mashū	釧路支庁	Kushiro	For the fog which hides the surface most of the time, Lake Mashu is known as a mysterious spot.
Lake Valor	屈斜路湖	Lake Kussharo	釧路支庁	Kushiro
Pastoria City	釧路市	Kushiro City	釧路支庁	Kushiro	Kushiro is the largest city in Eastern Hokkaido (道東).
Great Marsh	釧路湿原	Kushiro Marsh	釧路支庁	Kushiro	Kushiro Marsh is the largest and most famous marsh in Japan.
Canalave City	小樽市	Otaru City	後志支庁	Shiribeshi	Otaru flourished as a port city, with a canal.
Snowpoint City	浜頓別町	Hamatonbetsu Town	宗谷支庁	Sōya
Lake Acuity	クッチャロ湖	Lake Kutcharo	宗谷支庁	Sōya
Sunyshore City	根室市	Nemuro City	根室支庁	Nemuro
Vista Lighthouse	納沙布岬	Cape Nosappu	根室支庁	Nemuro	Cape Nosappu is Japan's easternmost spot open to the public.
Iron Island	焼尻島	Yagishiri Island	留萌支庁	Rumoi
Victory Road	国後島	Kunashir Island	in dispute
Fullmoon Island	利尻島	Rishiri Island	宗谷支庁	Sōya
Newmoon Island	礼文島	Rebun Island	宗谷支庁	Sōya
Battle Zone	樺太	Sakhalin	in dispute

Unova

Unova has been said to be significantly distant from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh. Instead of being based on an area of Japan, Unova is based around the Manhattan area of New York City.

Pokémon world	Specific location	Comments
Sky Arrow Bridge	Brooklyn Bridge
Castelia City	Lower Manhattan	The business center of New York City as well as the United States in general.

Landscape

While the above locations are meant to correspond to the different regions of Japan, great liberties were taken with the design of their landscape. Some of the designers have admitted to drawing inspiration from real-world locations outside Japan, especially with locations shown in Pokémon movies.

Pokémon world		Inspiration		Comments
	Alto Mare	Venice	Italy
	Forina	Wulingyuan	China
LaRousse City	LaRousse City	Vancouver	British Columbia, Canada
	Sootopolis City	Santorini	Greece
Porta Vista	Porta Vista	Acapulco	Mexico
	Pastoria City	Boston	Massachusetts, United States	While not mentioned specifically, Pastoria has some similarities with Boston and the surrounding area. A good portion of the city is built on fens, there are multiple national parks in the suburbs of outside the city, specifically in towns like Duxbury, Massachusetts and Marshfield, Massachusetts.
	Alamos Town	Barcelona	Spain	The Space-Time Towers are based on the uncompleted church of Sagrada Familia.
	Hollywood	Hollywood	California, United States	Hollywood is obviously based on Hollywood, California. In the dub, it is directly stated that it is located in California.
		Geiranger	Norway	A town in the eleventh movie Giratina and the Sky Warrior, which was nearly destroyed by a glacier, is based on a town in Norway, which is threatened by the possibility of the mountain eroding into the fjord.
Michina Town	Michina Town	Meteora	Greece
	Crown City	Amsterdam	The Netherlands

Real-world locations mentioned

• In the Generation III games, Blaine refers kyoto in the original Japanese version.

Chinese noodles

• Arcanine's FireRed Pokédex entry states that it is mentioned in Chinese legends.
• Parasect's Pokédex entry mentions its spores are used in medicine in China.
• Regice's Emerald Pokédex entry mentions Antarctic ice.
• Upon defeating Fisherman Bronson in the Sinnoh Battle Tower, he will say, "Why the emperor of fishing? It's an ancient Chinese legend..."
• In Pasta La Vista!, an ad on a book mentions "Chinese Noodles."
• Lt. Surge is known as "The Lightning American!"
• Mew was originally discovered in the jungles of the South American country Guyana. This is mentioned in logs inside of Cinnabar Island's Pokémon Mansion.
• Xatu's FireRed, Silver, and SoulSilver Pokédex entries mention its association with mysticism in South America.
• Poliwrath's Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum Pokédex entries mention its ability to swim the Pacific Ocean. Also, it is to be noted that the direction of its spirals depends on their geographical location.
• Delibird's Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald Pokédex entries explain that a Delibird helped a famous explorer reach the top of Mt. Everest.
• Silph Co.'s Tiksi Branch is in Russia.
• In Mewtwo Strikes Back, Team Rocket are disguised as vikings. In the English dub, Brock says that he didn't know that vikings still existed and Ash replies that they come from Minnesota. This is clearly a reference to the Minnesota Vikings football team.

• Though in the Swedish dub of the movie, Ash replies to Brock that they come from Norway. Most likely referring to the Scandinavian Vikings that lived in the 8-11th century.

• Ponyta's Pokédex entries mentions that it can clear Ayers Rock and jump over the Eiffel Tower in one leap. Tokyo Tower is referred in the original Japanese version.
• A Guitarist that can be battled in the Battle Frontier mentions that his guitar is actually a Japanese instrument.
• In School of Hard Knocks, Misty mentions wanting to go to Paris.
• In Wherefore Art Thou, Pokémon?, Misty described the town like being in 'Merry Old England,' in which it could possibly be based on Tudor Time Stratford-Upon-Avon. It is also the same historic town where the story's inspirational author, William Shakespeare was born.
• In The Scheme Team, Jessie talks about Antarctica, the place where their next assignment is located. It should be noted that this was dub-added.
• In Celebi: Voice of the Forest, Meowth asks if they saw Vicious in a Mexican wrestling movie.
• In the English version of The March of the Exeggutor Squad, Melvin says he wanted to make it to Las Vegas. It should be noted that he said that he wanted to make it to Broadway in the Japanese version.
• In the first movie, Meowth mentioned that they lived on the same Earth (although he may have been referring to the soil rather than the literal planet Earth).
• In The Ninja Poké-Showdown, James says that the Fuchsia Gym looks like a Japanese restaurant.
• In Pokémon Heroes, Misty makes a direct reference to the Earth stating that, "The Earth is so pretty."

Real world people and cultures mentioned

• In A Bite to Remember, Jessie says that Albert Einstein created the light bulb. Max corrects her, saying that Thomas Edison was the creator.
• A Team Rocket Grunt mentions the hula dance to a Kimono Girl while in the Ecruteak dance theater.
• The main series games have featured staff members of Game Freak that typically reward the player for completing the National Dex, or occasionally through alternative methods. One in particular can actually be battled in-game.

Other applications of real-world locations

Mewtwo overlooking a "far away city" at the end of Mewtwo Returns

• In Gold, Silver, Crystal, HeartGold, and SoulSilver, Webster, the guard in the guardhouse north of Goldenrod City, will give the player a Spearow holding mail to deliver. The Spearow is nicknamed Kenya, the name of a country in Africa.
• In Raichu's FireRed Pokédex entry, Indian Elephants are mentioned. Incidentally, Gastly's FireRed entry mentions the same thing.
• At the end of Mewtwo Returns, Mewtwo is shown overlooking a "far away city" that greatly resembles New York City. Buildings similar to the Chrysler Building and the MetLife Building are visible in the distance.
• In Can't Beat the Heat, Ash's Charizard uses Seismic Toss. Normally, a cloudy globe can be seen, but this time the Pacific Ocean and Australia are prominent.
• In all of the main series games, and some side series games, there is a Nintendo gaming console in the player's bedroom. This is a reference to the real world gaming company that owns the franchise.
• The Arceus event that takes place in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver includes real life pictures in the game.
• In Volcanic Panic, when Ash's Charizard performs Aerial Submission against Blaine's Magmar, real-world countries can be seen as Charizard circles the globe.
• Game Freak's offices are present in the Celadon Condominiums, a possible reference to their real-world office of Carrot Tower.
• Articuno's name is derived from the real world location, The Arctic.