We Visited the Pokémon Art & Eco Exhibition 4 — 91 Upcycled Pokémon at Tokyo Midtown!

We headed to the Art & Environmental Education Exhibition with Pokémon 4, held at Tokyo Midtown Design Hub in Minato-ku, Tokyo 🎉 Students from Tama Art University’s Product Design Program Studio 3 created 91 Pokémon sculptures from waste materials and ocean plastic — and the sheer scale of it was breathtaking. An exhibition that makes you think deeply about both art and environmental issues ✨

📖 What’s in this article 📖
☝️ 91 Pokémon made from waste materials and ocean plastic gather at Tokyo Midtown — free entry 🎉
✌️ Lucky’s fave is Golem, Summer’s fave is the cable-made Tangela — was your Pokémon there?
🤟 Kids’ workshops also held! Learning about environmental issues through Pokémon in the most fun way

Tokyo Midtown Design Hub 2026 — Access & Venue Info

Take the elevator at the back of Tokyo Midtown’s 1st floor straight up to the 5th floor — Tokyo Midtown Design Hub opens right up in front of you. Free entry makes it a great spot to just drop in 🙌

Walking in, the size of the space catches you off guard — it’s bigger than expected! Artwork panels and 3D sculpture zones fill the room, and reading the panels before seeing the actual pieces makes the emotional payoff even bigger 💡 The exhibition is thoughtfully structured to deepen your understanding of both art and environmental issues.

Standout Works from the Exhibition — POKÉMON UPCYCLE SCULPTURE 2026 ✨

Titled “POKÉMON UPCYCLE SCULPTURE”, this exhibition features all 91 Pokémon handcrafted by Tama Art University students using discarded materials, unwanted items, and ocean plastic waste. Cables, wires, plastic fragments — everyday waste transformed into works this beautiful and striking 🌊 Here are the pieces that caught POPii’s eye 💕

【Lucky’s Pick】Golem Made from Waste Materials 🪨

Lucky’s all-time favourite Pokémon is Golem — so naturally, finding Golem was the very first mission 👀 Which waste materials were used to capture that rocky, rugged texture? We’ll leave that for you to discover in person!

【Summer’s Pick】The Cable-Made Tangela Is Something Else 🌿

Summer was absolutely obsessed with the Tangela. Tangela is a Pokémon known for its body covered in vines and tendrils — and this one was crafted entirely from cables and cords. “Cables really can become anything…!” 🥹✨ The way the cables’ natural curves matched Tangela’s iconic silhouette perfectly — whoever thought of this is a genius 🎊

A Selection of Other Works ✨

Ocean Plastic Becomes Pokémon — The Message Behind the Upcycle Art 🌏

Many of the works use plastic waste washed up on coastlines. Seeing the concept of upcycling — turning discarded waste into something of real value — communicated so naturally through the Pokémon IP was genuinely powerful 🌊

After walking through the exhibition, Lucky and Summer both said the same thing: “These works can only exist right now — and we hope someday they can’t be made anymore.”
Because if ocean plastic disappears, these materials won’t exist. And then these beautiful Pokémon couldn’t be born. That complicated, bittersweet feeling might be the most important message this exhibition carries 💭

The experience of engaging with environmental issues as something personal — through the medium of art — was unforgettable. We’d love to go again if this exhibition returns next year!

🌈 Recap 🌈
✅ 91 Pokémon sculptures made from waste materials and ocean plastic by Tama Art University students gathered at Tokyo Midtown — free entry 🎉
✅ Lucky’s pick Golem, Summer’s obsession the cable Tangela — the lineup is full of personality. Go find your favourite Pokémon!
✅ “We hope someday these works can no longer be made” — an exhibition only possible right now, wishing for an ocean-plastic-free future 🌊

🔗 Source: Tokyo Midtown Design Hub Official
🔗 Source: Pokémon With You Foundation Official

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