Pikmin set to take over western Japan in 2025 with JR Kyushu collaboration
JR Kyushu and Nintendo’s “Pikmin” game series are teaming up to hold a special event throughout the first half of 2025.
Titled, “PIKMIN x JR Kyushu – Explore the Fascinating Planet Kyushu”, the JR Kyushu and Pikmin collaboration will see a number of different events take place over the next 6 months, including Pikmin themed trains, Pikmin Festa events, themed buses and pop up stores.
A bus launch event was held on the 14th of December 2024 to celebrate the launching of a Pikmin themed bus service on the BRT Hikoboshi Line, which runs from Soeda in Fukuoka Prefecture to Hita in Oita Prefecture.
Local elementary school students were invited to Soeda Station to help with adding the finishing touches to the buses.
The children helped place Pikmin decals on each bus, whilst wearing adorable Pikmin visors that they had been given specially for the event.
Three different buses will run during the collaboration, each in a different colour:
Once the buses were complete, they departed in a convoy and were waved off from Soeda Station by onlookers, including JR Kyushu staff and the local mayor.
The children participating in the event were invited to ride the buses on the journey to Hita Station, allowing them to try and find all of the Pikmin hiding inside the bus.
Along the way, they passed Fukuoka Prefecture’s Chikuzen Iwaya Station, which has been converted into a “Pikmin Station”, alongside other stations throughout Kyushu.
The theme of this station is “Rock Pikmin” and a special display has been placed outside the station making it the perfect place to take a photo if you’re a Pikmin fan.
Other stations in Kyushu have all been given the same treatment and have their own Pikmin theme, with select stations in Saga, Nagasaki, Oita, Kumamoto, Kagoshima and Miyazaki Prefectures themed on Winged, Ice, Purple, Red, Yellow and Blue Pikmin respectively.
If you visit any of the “Pikmin Stations”, you can use the JR Kyushu app to check in via GPS and gather “treasures”.
You can also gather “treasures” by scanning QR codes at Pikmin Festa events and onboard the Pikmin BRT Hikiboshi and Pikmin Train, as well as at the Pikmin x JR Kyushu Pop Up Store.
By gathering “treasures” you can enter a prize draw to be in with a chance to win original official Pikmin goods, with 5 different prizes available at 5, 10, 25, 50 and 70 “treasure” points.
Users of the “My Nintendo” app can also check in at any of the “Pikmin Stations” as well as at major Kyushu stations (see the end of the article for a full list of stations taking part) to receive one of two different free smartphone wallpapers, depending on the type of station.
Each major station will gift the same main collaboration wallpaper, whilst each “Pikmin Station” will provide a wallpaper specific to the station.
The Pikmin x JR Kyushu collaboration will be running until Monday June 30th 2025, with the buses on the BRT Hikiboshi bus line operating throughout this time.
Pikmin Festa events will take place on specific dates and the Pikmin 885 series trains will run until mid-May 2025.
If you’re heading to Kyushu whilst the event is on, make sure you seek out one of the many “Pikmin Stations” or take a ride on the Pikmin themed bus/train services before the collaboration ends!
List of “Pikmin Stations”
- Chikuzen Iwaya Station (Fukuoka Prefecture) (Rock Pikmin)
- Niji no Matsubara Station (Saga Prefecture) (Winged Pikmin)
- Okusa Station (Nagasaki Prefecture) (Ice Pikmin)
- Bungomori Station (Oita Prefecture) (Purple Pikmin)
- Miyaji Station (Kumamoto Prefecture) (Red Pikmin)
- Hinatayama Station (Kagoshima Prefecture) (Yellow Pikmin)
- Kodomo no Kuni Station (Miyazaki Prefecture) (Blue Pikmin)
List of major stations in Kyushu participating in Pikmin wallpaper giveaway (for use with My Nintendo app)
- Hakata Station
- Kokura Station
- Saga Station
- Nagasaki Station
- Oita Station
- Kumamoto Station
- Kagoshima Chuo Station
- Miyazaki Station
Source: Official Website
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