Pokémon Red and Blue: Kanto in the Real World

Every trainer starts here. After venturing alone into the tall grass, the player is stopped by Professor Oak, who leads them to his laboratory to meet his grandson, a rival aspiring trainer. Each of them picks a starter from Bulbasaur, Squirtle and Charmander. The hero is named Satoshi, after creator Satoshi Tajiri himself, and the article on Machida says Tajiri based the town on this hometown city in the Tama Hills of southern Tokyo. Shimoda's article places Pallet Town geographically in Shimoda, but still names Machida as the inspiration.

Location precision: The game names no real place, so this is an outside identification; the pin marks the centre of Machida.

Pewter City is the first gym town. Its leader, Brock, specialises in Rock-type Pokémon and hands over the Rock badge to the first trainer who beats him. The town also has a museum with a laboratory where fossils can be turned into Pokémon. The French article on Pokémon places identifies Pewter City with Maebashi, the capital of Gunma Prefecture in the northern Kantō region.

Location precision: The identification comes from a reference article, not from the developers; the pin marks the centre of Maebashi.

Mt. Moon is the cave every trainer must cross to get from Pewter City to Cerulean City, one of the game's caves where Pokémon can be caught. The French article on Pokémon places says it stands for Mount Akagi, which also has a lake in a crater at its summit, while English Wikipedia attributes the link to unofficial sources. Akagi is a stratovolcano in Gunma Prefecture, reached by bus from Maebashi Station.

Location precision: English Wikipedia itself calls the link unofficial; the pin marks the Akagi volcano, not any single spot.

Visitor guidance: A bus runs to the Akagi Visitor Center from Maebashi Station.

In Cerulean City, Misty is the Gym Leader and the Water-type specialist, and beating her earns the Cascade badge. The French article on Pokémon places identifies the city with Saitama, noting that the real city is bordered on its west by the Arakawa river. Saitama is the capital and largest city of Saitama Prefecture, formed from the former cities of Urawa, Ōmiya, Yono and Iwatsuki. The game town also has a bike shop, a Pokémon Center and a daycare.

Location precision: This is an outside reading of the map, not an official link; the pin marks the centre of Saitama.

Vermilion City is a port town where a cruise ship is moored and an Electric-type gym waits. English Wikipedia says the city is based on Yokohama, and in 2022 the World Championships closing ceremony used footage of Vermilion City from Red, Blue and Yellow to announce Yokohama as the 2023 host. The tournament was then held at Pacifico Yokohama in August 2023, in a cosmopolitan port city on Tokyo Bay.

Location precision: The 2022 announcement points to the link, but no developer is quoted; the pin marks central Yokohama, not a single site.

Visitor guidance: The Pacifico Yokohama convention centre, venue of the 2023 World Championships, is a landmark of the waterfront.

Lavender Town is a haunted place: it is home to the Pokémon Tower, a burial ground for deceased Pokémon and a location to find Ghost-type Pokémon. It is the player's first encounter with the idea of Pokémon dying, and one of the few towns with no gym. Team Rocket murders a mother Marowak in the games. The French article on Pokémon places identifies Lavender Town with Narita, the city that hosts Narita International Airport.

Location precision: The link comes from a single reference article, not from the developers; the pin marks the centre of Narita.

Celadon City has a department store, a casino and a Team Rocket hideout, along with Erika, a Grass-type gym leader. The French article on Pokémon places says the city corresponds to the Tokyo ward of Shinjuku, whose station is the busiest railway station in the world. Team Rocket is the criminal organization the player battles throughout the journey.

Location precision: An outside identification from a reference article; the pin marks Shinjuku ward, not a specific building.

Saffron is the largest city in Kanto. It has a Psychic-type gym, a fighting dojo and the headquarters of a major company. The French article on Pokémon places links it to Marunouchi, the core of Tokyo's central business district, between Tokyo Station and the Imperial Palace; 20 of the Fortune Global 500 companies were headquartered there as of 2021.

Location precision: The link comes from a reference article, not from the developers; the pin marks Marunouchi.

Cinnabar Island is a volcanic island with a Fire-type gym, a research laboratory and a mansion. English Wikipedia says it is based on Izu Ōshima, an inhabited volcanic island of the Izu archipelago whose Mount Mihara, an active volcano, rises 758 metres and last erupted in 1990. Ferries to the island leave from Takeshiba Pier in Tokyo for Motomachi Port.

Location precision: Wikipedia states the link, but no developer is quoted; the pin marks Izu Ōshima as a whole.

Visitor guidance: Ferries run from Takeshiba Pier near Hamamatsuchō in Tokyo to Motomachi Port.

The last badge is won in Viridian City, from Giovanni, who leads Team Rocket and runs the gym. After he is beaten he disappears. The French article on Pokémon places identifies Viridian City with Hakone, a spa town in Kanagawa Prefecture, within view of Mount Fuji and a popular tourist destination known for its hot springs, mostly inside Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park around Lake Ashi.

Location precision: An outside identification from a reference article; the pin marks the centre of Hakone.

Visitor guidance: Hakone is a popular tourist destination with many hot springs within view of Mount Fuji.