How do you access the giant Poké Ball?

Through a lottery, the details of which will be revealed on September 15. You'll need to be able to travel to Hokkaido, Japan, to book and enjoy the experience.

What's inside this Poké Ball?

A generously sized round bed that takes up most of the floor space, and a window to maintain contact with the outside world. No curtains are visible in the visuals.

Why is Pokémon Sleep collaborating with Not a Hotel?

Because the sleep-tracking app wanted to bring its concept to life in the real world. Sleeping inside a Poké Ball obviously checks the box of a fantasy come true.

Will I be able to install one at home afterward?

The Pokémon Company might consider this kind of diversification in the future, but for now it's an ultra-targeted operation aimed at the Japanese public. You'd need to have the right garden for it anyway.

Pokémon Sleep: sleep in a charming giant Poké Ball!

Pokémon Sleep is teaming up with Not a Hotel, a Japanese hotel group specializing in unusual luxury, to offer a night's stay inside a giant Poké Ball. The announcement just dropped, and it's enough to surprise even the fans most used to the franchise's marketing antics.

The teaser, widely shared on social media, shows a sphere-shaped capsule half-open like a Poké Ball, with a round bed taking up most of the floor space. There is indeed a window so you don't feel completely enclosed, even though no curtains appear in the visuals. The experience will take place in Hokkaido, and access won't be open to everyone: a lottery will determine who gets to book, with full details expected on September 15th.

On paper, this looks like a one-off PR stunt. But it fits into a broader strategy from The Pokémon Company: turning the franchise's universe into immersive physical experiences, beyond games and standard merchandising. Pokémon Sleep, the gamified sleep-tracking app, was precisely looking for a way to bring its concept into the real world. A night inside a Poké Ball obviously fits the bill.

Still, the operation is mainly aimed at a Japanese audience, able to travel to Hokkaido for the occasion. For fans outside Japan, it will remain a fantasy shared on social media, nothing more. For now, at least. Who knows, after all? Maybe one day we'll be able to install one in our own backyard. Assuming we have a backyard in the first place... In the meantime, the franchise keeps diversifying, alongside the upcoming main games expected next year.