Latest news with #Pikachus
Time of India
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Tokyo E-Prix 2025: Nico Mueller, David Beckmann unleash Pikachu power in Japan, go-kart on streets — watch videos
Image credit: Instagram Andretti driver Nico Mueller and Cupra Kiro driver David Beckmann tried go-karting in the streets of Japan before hitting the track for the Tokyo E-Prix. The Formula E drivers dressed up in bright yellow Pikachu costumes and had a blast racing on the streets in go-karts. The videos of them go-karting as Pikachus are enough to hint at how much fun the two are having in Japan. Nico Mueller, David Beckmann have some fun in Tokyo The video of Nico Mueller and David Beckmann go-karting in Japan was shared by Andretti on Instagram. The video was shared with the caption: 'Unleashing Pika power on the streets of Tokyo.' The Instagram account of FIA dropped a comment on the post, 'Serving looks @ @david_beckmann.' Fans loved the funny video, as the two Formula E drivers looked hilarious in their Pikachu costumes. A fan came up with a new name for Nico Mueller, writing, 'Nicachu looks cute there.' Another said, 'Petition to make Tokyo a triple header, 2 E-Prixs and this Pikachu go-kart street race.' One more commented, 'Not blending in with the crowd as well this week, Nico.' Another video featuring Nico alone was shared by Andretti with the caption: 'Nico Mueller core.' It shows Mueller doing funny gimmicks while go-karting. A fan commented on the video, 'It's Nico's world and we're just living in it.' Beckmann also shared pictures from the go-karting session on Instagram and wrote, 'Tokyo unlocked a wild Pikachu.' Dan Ticktum asked in the comments section, 'Is that gen4?' Beckmann responded to him saying, 'yea, we were lucky testing the prototype.' Mueller is currently in 14th position in the Formula E Driver Standings. Beckmann is in last place on the list. The drivers will now be taking part in the Round 8 and Round 9 Formula E races on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Also Read: Tokyo E-Prix 2025: Norman Nato tops First Free Practice, Taylor Barnard suffers a crash This is the second season of the Tokyo E-Prix. The Gen3 Evo cars will be racing at the Tokyo Street Circuit in the Tokyo double-header. The Formula E season has many more races to go until the 2025 season comes to an end in July.
Japan Times
20-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Times
In pictures: Tokyo's weeklong celebration of baseball's best
Shohei Ohtani was here, there and everywhere over the past week as his Los Angeles Dodgers descended upon Tokyo for a two-game series against the Chicago Cubs to kick off the MLB season. The Tokyo Series, which also included exhibition games against the Yomiuri Giants and the Hanshin Tigers, also saw the brief return to Japanese shores of Dodgers pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki and Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki and pitcher Shota Imanaga in what amounted to a weeklong celebration of Japan's place in the world of baseball. And it wasn't just baseball stars who took the spotlight: Yoshiki performed the Japanese and U.S. national anthems on Tuesday while former sumo wrestler Konishiki threw a ceremonial pitch. Oh, and Pikachus were there, too. Below is a selection of some of our best photos from the past week of baseball. Tokyo Dome was the site for an electric opening to the MLB season, with a series of games that also featured rare contests between MLB and NPB clubs. | Joshua Mellin A poster featuring Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani and Seiya Suzuki at a fan festival at Tokyo Skytree | Daniel Traylor Shohei Ohtani shares a laugh with lucky children ahead of a game against the Giants on Saturday. | Joshua Mellin Teruaki Sato celebrates after his three-run home run against the Dodgers on Sunday. | Joshua Mellin Cubs infielder Justin Turner poses with a young fan dressed as him prior to a game on Sunday. | Joshua Mellin Cheerleaders and mascots for the Tigers and Giants pose for a photo on the Tokyo Dome turf. | Joshua Mellin Shohei Ohtani rounds the bases after he hit a home run against the Giants on Saturday. | Joshua Mellin A fan sports a Dodgers-themed kimono outside Tokyo Dome on Tuesday. | Joshua Mellin Ohtani smacks a home run during an exhibition game against the Giants on Saturday. | Joshua Mellin The Tigers and Cubs mascots get playful ahead of an exhibition game between the two clubs on Saturday. | Joshua Mellin Clark the Cub waves the W "win" flag after the Cubs defeated the Giants on Sunday. | Joshua Mellin Tigers fans gave the club's exhibition games against the Dodgers and Cubs a Japanese feel with their trademark chants and songs. | Joshua Mellin Pikachu helped bring in the new MLB season on Tuesday with a pregame ceremony fit for Japan. | Joshua Mellin Tigers players with Cubs hats after Hanshin's win over Chicago on Saturday. | Joshua Mellin Tiger slugger Teruaki Sato launches a three-run homer against the Dodgers on Sunday in a game that Hanshin won 3-0. | Joshua Mellin Former sumo wrestler Konishiki throws a ceremonial pitch ahead of the opening game of the MLB season on Tuesday in Tokyo. | Joshua Mellin Look-a-likes of Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shota Imanaga outside Tokyo Dome prior to the first game of the MLB season on Tuesday | Joshua Mellin Yoshiki performs the national anthems of Japan and the U.S. prior to the Dodgers-Cubs game on Tuesday. | Joshua Mellin Cubs fans Jack White and Bill Murray turned up to support their team on Tuesday. | Joshua Mellin Shota Imanaga pitched four scoreless innings in the MLB season opener on Tuesday but it wasn't enough to secure a win for the Cubs. | Joshua Mellin Ohtani tips his batting helmet prior to an at-bat on Tuesday. | Joshua Mellin Cubs slugger Seiya Suzuki plays with his son on the turf at Tokyo Dome. | Joshua Mellin Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitches during the Dodgers' season-opening win over the Cubs on Tuesday. | Joshua Mellin A fan watches the game between the Dodgers and Cubs at a fan festival at Tokyo Skytree on Tuesday. | Daniel Traylor The Dodgers' trio of Japanese talent — Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki — at the final game of the Tokyo Series on Wednesday | Joshua Mellin Japanese baseball mascots prime the audience ahead of the second game between the Cubs and Dodgers on Wednesday. | Joshua Mellin In his highly anticipated MLB debut on Wednesday, Dodgers starter Roki Sasaki impressed with his fastball but struggled to find the strike zone. | Joshua Mellin Shota Imanaga ahead of the second game of the series between the Cubs and Dodgers. | Joshua Mellin Cubs infielder Matt Shaw takes the low road to get home in Game 2 on Wednesday. | Joshua Mellin All eyes were on Shohei Ohtani throughout the past week as the Japanese superstar put on a show for fans in his home country. | Joshua Mellin
Los Angeles Times
18-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
POV: Watching the Dodgers play in Tokyo
POV: Watching the Dodgers play in Tokyo. The sights. The sounds. The Pikachus. We wanted you to experience what it is like to see the team play in Japan at the Tokyo Dome. #asmr
The Guardian
14-02-2025
- The Guardian
‘Is it our turn next?': Melbourne Pokemon game stores struggling in face of alleged card thefts
They come for the Pokémon cards. Around once a fortnight, thieves – with faces covered under hooded jumpers – smash their way into a hobby store in the middle of the night, ransack cabinets and displays and leave with wheelie bins filled with loot, according to shop owners. The value of the allegedly stolen collections of cards – and all those Pikachus, Charizards and Squirtles – is estimated by some owners as between $20,000 and $100,000 per robbery – with the total potentially reaching $1m. The spate of brazen robberies of Melbourne stores for the lucrative Pokémon collector cards has led store owners to call for police to treat the threat very seriously. Stores in Greensborough, Camberwell and Thomastown are among those alleged to have been hit by a group of thieves, with about 16 robberies of card stores reported in the past eight months. More than half a dozen stores were allegedly targeted in the past two weeks alone, with Guardian Australia aware of an incident as recent as Friday. So far, no arrests have been made or charges laid. Victoria police confirmed there is an ongoing investigation into a series of alleged burglaries at card and collectible stores, but would not comment further on the matters raised by the store owners. Blacklist Cards is on the second floor of a retail space in Thomastown, north of Melbourne's CBD. Allegedly, at about 5am on 3 February, thieves had to break through an entrance door and use a crowbar on a roller door to get inside. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email 'They've just come in, smashed the glass cabinets, taken everything out of there,' said the store's owner Umit Berkant. 'The card wall that we had on there – [they have] broken the lock and smashed it down, and just ransacked everything.' It 'just comes to the point where they'll do anything', he said. 'They don't care. We've got cafes next door, we've got the road – we're on a main street where people will be driving past – and that's the thing that gets to me,' he said. 'It's quite shocking, to be quite honest with you, there's no other word to really use. It's just insane how little they really care about the scenario or the situation.' Pokémon collector cards have been around for nearly as long as the eponymous Japanese video game and television series. Fans want to collect them all, buying cards featuring iconic Pokémon creatures such as Pikachu, Squirtle, Charizard and MewTwo. The cards are sold new in big retail outlets such as Kmart, EB Games and JB Hi-Fi, as well as in the smaller independent stores that are being robbed. Some of the rarer cards can sell for up to $500 each, while the rarest, dating back to the 1990s, can sell for millions. In 2022, YouTube influencer Logan Paul set a Guiness world record after buying a coveted PSA grade 10 Pikachu Illustrator card for US$5.25m (A$8.3m). Store owners have said rarer cards that have been removed from their packaging could be tracked down based on previous ownership, but the stolen packets of cards were harder to trace. The cards have been in strong demand, according to the chief executive of General Games in Ketsbrough, Ryan Street. Street said thieves would likely know how much money they could make selling stolen stock. 'The demand for Pokémon product and collectible TCGs [trading card games] overseas is huge, just as much as it is here in Australia. The stock is very limited at the moment because it is so popular; suppliers can't keep up,' he said. Street said others in his industry had told him they were getting frustrated, considering the continuing brazen attacks. 'It's having a big impact on the industry, with some stores now deciding they don't want to sell Pokémon cards'. Street said some stores were considering closing because they were afraid they woujld be robbed. 'From a mental health point of view, as a store owner you wake up in the morning going: 'Is it our turn today?' 'There's a little bit of frustration, I suppose, from us as an industry that not more has been done. We feel if this was about jewellery stores and they were getting hit multiple times across Melbourne, perhaps police would put a taskforce together.' Street said police had advised owners to increase their security. In some instances, he said, staff were staying back late in the stores, and some were even sleeping in their store to prevent robberies. Berkant urged the public to support the independent stores to get back on their feet. 'Now, more than ever, we need people to support their local game shops if they enjoy collecting cards, if they enjoy buying figurines, if they enjoy playing board games,' he said. 'We are struggling. And we are the small businesses. We don't have large chains around Australia where we can mitigate that and put it somewhere else. This is our livelihood.'
