The first Pokemon games came out when I was a teenager, and I remember having a lot of fun with them.  I played them on the original Game Boy and had a great time playing with my friends.  However, as I got older, I stopped playing and sort of grew out of that hobby.

This past January, my whole family got COVID.  More than two weeks of quarantine is difficult, but the hardest part was keeping two children entertained without really being able to go outside.  My son, who is five years old, enjoys Pokemon, so I decided to order some Pokemon cards online.  Within a couple days, we were ordering Pokemon plastic models, puzzles, and games, and it became something the entire family could enjoy.  For me, it was also a great way to revisit some of that nostalgia. 

Five months later, we are still enjoying that hobby.  We have Pokemon card battles on weekends, watch the anime together, and it’s become something we can all share and enjoy as a family. 

This past weekend, the Japan National Pokemon Card Championships were held.  We basically had it running on the TV all weekend as a backdrop for a Pokemon-themed family weekend.  It was a great time, and I even tried my hand at making some Pokemon-themed food!