A Pokemon Train Is Running Tokyo to Yokohama Through September
To celebrate the Bubbly Basin DLC launch for Pokemon Pokopia, Japan wrapped an entire commuter train in Pokemon artwork, with Ditto-covered seats and Water-type decor throughout.
A Commute Worth Taking
Most daily train rides between Tokyo and Yokohama are perfectly ordinary. For a few weeks this summer, though, one train on that corridor looks like it rolled straight out of a video game. As reported by Dexerto, Japan has transformed an entire commuter train into a moving celebration of Pokemon Pokopia and its upcoming Expansion Pass DLC, Bubbly Basin. The wrapped train started running on August 2 and stays in service through September 25, 2026, which means fans traveling to Japan still have nearly two months to track it down.
The exterior of the train has been covered in Pokemon Pokopia artwork alongside the Expansion Pass logo, so it is recognizable long before you board. Inside, the theming gets more specific. The seats have been dressed in purple Ditto designs, the walls are lined with artwork featuring Water-type Pokemon, and Starmie makes a notable appearance among the creatures depicted throughout the carriages. Posters and decorations promoting Bubbly Basin fill out the rest of the space.
What Bubbly Basin Actually Adds
For anyone not yet familiar with the game prompting all of this, Pokemon Pokopia is a spin-off that casts players as an adorable Ditto tasked with building cozy towns for Pokemon to inhabit. It has developed a strong following quickly, landing among the more talked-about Pokemon releases in recent years.
The Bubbly Basin DLC, Part 1 of the Expansion Pass, launches August 5. According to Dexerto, it introduces a brand new underwater town, new Pokemon to encounter, fresh furniture and outfits, and a Dive ability that lets players explore beneath the waves. It is a meaningful expansion of the game’s core loop, adding a whole vertical dimension to the town-building that the base game did not have.
The Expansion Pass is not done after this release, either. Dexerto reports that additional features are planned for later in 2026, with an entirely new town set to arrive in 2027. The Bubbly Basin train, then, is really the starting gun on a longer rollout.
Minato Mirai Station Gets In on It Too
The celebration does not end when passengers step off the train. According to the Dexerto report citing a post from Meccha Japan, Minato Mirai Station is also receiving Pokemon Pokopia theming as part of the promotion, though specific details about the station’s decorations were not fully outlined in the source material.
Japan has a long history of turning public transit into promotional events for major game releases, and this one fits the tradition well. A game about building warm, welcoming spaces for Pokemon translating into a train designed to feel warm and welcoming for passengers is a tidy piece of brand logic. And practically speaking, wrapping a commuter train is one of the more visible ways to reach a broad audience, not just dedicated fans who already have the DLC pre-ordered.
For Pokemon fans planning a trip to Japan before late September, the Tokyo to Yokohama rail network is a reasonable place to start planning.
When does the Pokemon Pokopia Bubbly Basin DLC launch?
Part 1 of the Pokemon Pokopia Expansion Pass, Bubbly Basin, launches on August 5, 2026, according to Dexerto.
How long will the Pokemon Pokopia themed train run in Japan?
As reported by Dexerto, the special themed train began operating on August 2, 2026, and will remain in service on the Tokyo to Yokohama rail network through September 25, 2026.
What is inside the Pokemon Pokopia themed train?
According to Dexerto, the train features Ditto-designed seat covers, walls decorated with Water-type Pokemon artwork including Starmie, and posters and decorations promoting the Bubbly Basin expansion throughout the carriages.
What does the Bubbly Basin DLC add to Pokemon Pokopia?
Dexerto reports that Bubbly Basin introduces a brand new underwater town, new Pokemon, furniture, outfits, and a Dive ability for exploring beneath the waves.