On 15 September, on the shore of a quiet lake in Hokkaido, something appeared that until recently one could only dream of. Among the trees, as if fallen from the sky, stands a huge red-and-white sphere just three meters in diameter. This is not an installation or a decoration. This is a real hotel where you can spend the night.
From the outside it looks exactly like a classic Poké Ball — bright, glossy, with a black band around the middle. Inside, the space is arranged with astonishing care for comfort. Almost the entire area is taken up by a round bed with a specially designed mattress. Lying on it, through a large curved acrylic window, you get a view of the lake and the forest. It feels as if you really are inside a Poké Ball, looking at the world through the eyes of a captured Pokémon.
Next to the main sphere is a small room with a shower and toilet. The tiles here are painted in the calm tones of Snorlax — that very lazy giant who sleeps almost all the time. And in the evening you can take a tablet and choose which Pokémon you'd like to fall asleep with. Pikachu, Eevee, Charmander, Squirtle, or someone else — when the lights go out, the room fills with soft illumination in the colors of the chosen character.
This tiny hotel was created for two important occasions: the thirtieth anniversary of the Pokémon franchise and the third anniversary of the Pokémon Sleep app. The location was not chosen by chance — Hokkaido, with its clean air, silence, and nature, is perfectly suited for truly deep sleep.
It is impossible to book a room in the usual way. The overnight stay is raffled among those who play Pokémon Sleep. The winners receive a free one-night stay with dinner and breakfast. The other participants get useful in-game items. It turns out that even the hotel itself must first be "caught" — just like a Pokémon.
The result is a rare experience: not just a night in an unusual place, but a true immersion in the atmosphere of a beloved universe. You go to sleep inside a Poké Ball, listen to the silence of a Japanese forest, and for a moment become part of a world in which Pokémon truly exist.
