It still feels a little weird to me that, despite living in Kyoto, the Nara Poké Lids ended up being the first set I completed.
Bronzong & Simisear
Coordinates: 34°36’06.8″N 135°44’21.0″E
Located right outside Horyuji Station, this was the very first Poké Lid we found during our hunt across Nara Prefecture. Earlier that morning, Kyoto was being absolutely hammered by torrential rain, so we spent most of the train ride expecting the storm to follow us south into Nara. Somehow, though, the rain never came. Instead, we were greeted by clear skies and early summer heat—humid, exhausting, and the kind that leaves you instantly regretting long garments. Still, it felt like we had gotten incredibly lucky. There was something exciting about starting the trip under unexpectedly good weather, standing right outside the station knowing our little Poké Lid adventure had officially begun.
Bellsprout & Growlithe
Coordinates: 34°36’17.1″N 135°44’15.4″E
As we walked toward the location in a suburban street, we suddenly caught the smell of something absolutely foul lingering in the air. It was probably just sewage or some unfortunate drainage situation, but Lester reacted like we had wandered directly into a biological hazard zone. Every few seconds, without fail, I’d hear another displeased “kussssa” followed by aggressive nose-scrunching and deeply offended commentary about the smell. Honestly, I was trying not to laugh watching him suffer so ardently over it. He kept up the “kusa” for several more meters, looking personally betrayed by the air itself, and then—just as mysteriously as it appeared—the smell completely vanished like nothing had happened.
After turning the corner from a quiet residential street onto the main road, we spent a moment scanning the sidewalks before finally spotting the lid outside a community learning center.
Magby & Chimecho
Coordinates: 34°36’29.8″N 135°44’15.7″E
This one was pretty easy to reach after the Bellsprout & Growlithe lid. We simply walked straight north along the road, all while fighting for our lives trying to keep the UV umbrella from flipping inside out in the unusually strong winds—which, unfortunately, it did. Twice. The first time it happened, Lester was holding the umbrella when a strong gust of wind suddenly flipped it inside out. Naturally, I assumed he was just holding it wrong, so I arrogantly snatched it from him to demonstrate the “proper” technique—only to be immediately humbled when another gust flipped it inside out again moments later. After struggling in the wind for a while we eventually got to the location and found the lid tucked away beneath the overpass on the right side.
Fletchinder & Deerling
Coordinates: 34°36’29.7″N 135°44’15.2″E
I found it oddly entertaining that this lid was literally right across the street from the Magby & Chimecho one, like the two were intentionally paired together for maximum convenience. Even better, they were tucked beneath opposite sides of the same overpass, so after taking our photos and collecting the stamp from one side, we just crossed the street and repeated the whole process again.
Entei
Coordinates: 34°36’35.4″N 135°44’07.0″E
The fifth and final stop on our hunt was Entei, located just several meters away from Hōryū-ji—a popular destination for school educational field trips. This legendary Pokémon’s lid sits conveniently between the tour bus terminal on one side and the local bus stop back to Horyuji Station on the other.
After snapping our photos, collecting the final stamp, and offering a rather sheepish apology for my failed umbrella expertise, we spent a little time wandering around the temple grounds before finally heading back home—slightly sunburnt, mildly wind-traumatized, but very happy we decided to do the trip.
Five lids, countless photos, one dramatic sewage incident, an umbrella repeatedly losing its battle against the air current, and an unreasonable amount of walking later, we officially completed the Nara Poké Lid route. Honestly, I think the journey itself ended up being far more memorable than the actual collecting.
