Image: Tokyo Game LifeOver the holiday season, we're republishing some of the best articles from Nintendo Life writers and contributors as part of our Best of 2024 series. This article was originally published in October. Enjoy!The first generation of Pokmon games features some of the most iconic locations in the entire franchise. The eerie Lavender Town, the winding Viridian Forest, and the quaint Pallet Town where all players start their journey.Pallet Town isnt just a fanciful creation, but draws real-life inspiration from Pokmon creator Satoshi Tajiris hometown of Machida within the Tokyo Metropolis. While the Machida of today and of Tajiris childhood are very different, there are yet many elements within the city that evoke the adventurous feeling of Ash Ketchum's hometown.Pokmon Red / Green / Blue / Yellow was inspired by the populous Kanto region of Japan, hence its namesake in the game. Kanto is home to Tokyo, which may conjure up images of a bustling futuristic city, but the Greater Tokyo Area is also abundant with verdant natural beauty, sleepy suburbs, and other places that tourists may not stumble upon. Machida doesnt pop up in many travel guides, but its a wonderful excursion outside the citys centre that will delight Pokmon fans looking to experience a bit of the games in real life.Images: Tokyo Game LifeMachida itself does not outwardly promote itself as being the hometown of Satoshi Tajiri. Some have even argued that Pallet Town is actually in Shizuoka due to how the real map of the Kanto region lines up with the games map. However, Machida has recently solidified itself as the likely inspiration for Pallet Town due to the installation of six Pok Lids within Machidas Serigaya Park.Part of the Pokmon Local Acts project which promotes tourism in lesser visited areas of Japan, Pok Lids are Pokmon themed utility covers that have been installed all across Japan. There are over 300 utility covers, with the most recent one being a special Pikachu lid at the Nintendo Museum in Kyoto. Hardcore Pokmon fans often travel specifically to these Pok Lids to take photos. Since they are mostly installed to lure travellers off the beaten paths, Tokyo itself does not have many, but the first ones were placed in Machida in 2020, themed after Kanto Pokmon you find early in your journey.Images: Tokyo Game LifeAll six Pok Lids are within Serigaya Park, an expansive area filled with evocative sculptures, ponds with koi fish, and plenty of lush greenery. The park was created in 1982, so while its not likely Tajiri visited this location specifically to catch bugs and fish, which would later inspire him to create Pokmon, Serigaya Parks quiet beauty does capture the same feeling of Pallet Town and the early routes of Kanto.Images: Tokyo Game LifeEach lid features bright art of classic Kanto Pokmon such as the starters Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander. They are smartly placed throughout the park, such as the Poliwag lid next to a glistening stream, or Charmander next to a fire hazard warning. The parks towering seesaw sculpture in the Rainbow and Water Square is portrayed on the Pidgey and Rattata lid, and you might even spot a Leaf cameo on the Bulbasaur lid.Dont be surprised if you need to line up to take a photo, as they are highly sought-after spots by Poke Lid fanatics due to being the only lids in the country that showcase the Kanto starters.Machida is more than the Pallet Town-coded Serigaya Park, and its most famous tourist attraction is not Pokmon-related at all. Machida Squirrel Garden is a small petting zoo that features over two hundred squirrels that live in colourfully painted houses. You can even feed and pet the squirrels, though dont be surprised if they dart off after filling their bellies. Although its unlikely these specific squirrels went on to inspire Pachirisu, its fun to think about.Images: Tokyo Game LifeRight across from Machida Squirrel Garden is Yakushiike Park, a massive Japanese garden featuring arch bridges, hanging wisteria, and red maple leaves. The traditional Japanese trappings of this park might lean more towards Johto than Kanto, but it captures the feeling of exploring a beautiful environment like in Pokmon, keeping an eye out for anything that might pop out of the grass.The city centre near Machida Station is a fairly typical Japanese shopping hub, with plenty of restaurants and department stores to check out. For gamers, there are a few arcades and shops like Hobby Off and Book Off where you can find retro games. Machidas Book Off is especially impressive, as it does have decorations for its retro game area, including Pokmon themed ones. On my visit, I even managed to find boxed copies of Pokmon Red and Green. Luck, or destiny?Images: Tokyo Game LifeIn a 1999 TIME magazine interview with Satoshi Tajiri, he briefly spoke about the changing landscapes of Machida.The place where I grew up was still rural back then. There were rice paddies, rivers, forests. It was full of nature. Then development started taking place, and as it grew, all the insects were driven away [...] The change was so dramatic. A fishing pond would become an arcade centre.25 years after Tajiri talked to TIME about Machida, the city has undoubtedly moved even further into resembling a modern neighbourhood of Tokyo. Yet, with the Pok Lids drawing people to Machidas more natural scenery, the spirit of starting your adventure in Pallet Town is still alive today.Image: Tokyo Game Life Worth a trip to Japan?Eiji Aonuma? Drinking buddy. Shigeru Miyamoto?...Related GamesSee AlsoShare:018 Tokyo Game Life is a Tokyo-based video game podcast focusing on Nintendo and gaming culture in Japan's capital. 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