Japan Airport Gets Pokémon Makeover After Earthquake

A regional airport in Japan is getting a heartwarming makeover that combines childhood joy with earthquake recovery.

Noto Satoyama Airport in Ishikawa prefecture will officially become the "Noto Satoyama Pokémon With You Airport" on July 7, 2026. The transformation comes two years after a magnitude 7.6 earthquake devastated the Noto Peninsula, killing hundreds and leaving thousands of children traumatized.

The airport is billing itself as the world's first Pokémon-themed airport. Visitors will be able to hunt for 111 flying-type Pokémon characters across the four-story terminal, from Pikachu perched atop an airplane in the main atrium to dragon and bird-inspired species decorating the walls.

The first floor arrivals area features a mural called "A Bright Future," a direct nod to the region's recovery. Outside, decorated pillars create what the airport calls "an exciting atmosphere that evokes the feeling of anticipation at the start of a journey."

The theme continues throughout the terminal with Pokémon characters in airport settings on information signs and walls. Travelers can grab themed pancakes and drinks at the An-non Restaurant or pick up special merchandise like T-shirts and luggage tags featuring the new "Sky of Hope" design.

The Ripple Effect

The airport's transformation goes beyond its walls. A new tour bus service launching mid-July will connect the airport to Kanazawa City and Wajima City on weekends and holidays, decorated with the same hopeful Sky of Hope imagery.

The bus route includes stops at the Wakura Pokémon Footbath and a Sylveon monument in Suzu City, spreading the joy across the earthquake-affected region. Airport officials say the goal is simple: bring smiles back to children who lived through the disaster.

The Pokémon theme will run through September 2029, giving the peninsula's tourism industry years to rebuild. While only operating flights to Tokyo's Haneda Airport, Noto is now positioned as a must-visit destination for Pokémon fans worldwide.

Japan's broader Pokémon tourism boom includes themed hotel rooms in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, plus PokéPark Kanto, the franchise's first permanent theme park that opened in Tokyo in February.

Sometimes the best medicine for a community's broken heart is a reminder that joy still exists.