Tweet of the Week #42: Pokémon Recruitment Ads Will Make You Smile

The first Pokémon Center opened in Osaka in 1998 and today Japan counts 11 official retail spaces for Poké-maniacs to catch ’em all. With Pikachu as their adorable leader, those poké-wonderlands are just perfect to satisfy the p-otaku in you (wahey!)

Merchandising-wise, Nintendo is making big money from Pokémon Centers. These official stores are like a sanctuary for fans to adopt plushies and purchase figures, drawings, clothes, snacks, jewelry, and other great goodies. There’s even an online store for fans in the U.S.

And they’re now hiring!

Get your resumes ready because Pokémon Centers across the nation are looking for new staff!

渋谷駅にあるポケモンセンターの求人広告が良かった。

渋谷東京メトロ1番出口にいっぱいいたのでいってみてください pic.twitter.com/ci4fNFwa7i

— akazunoma (@akazunoma) July 29, 2019

渋谷駅（しぶやえき）にあるポケモンセンターの求人（きゅうじん）広告（こうこく）が良（よ）かった。
渋谷東京（とうきょう）メトロ1番（いちばん）出口（でぐち）にいっぱいいたのでいってみてください

= The hiring ads for Pokémon centers at Shibuya station are great. There are lots of them near the metro Exit 1 so go check them out!

ポケモンセンター社員の広告、すご～って見てたら最後のコイキングで笑った pic.twitter.com/nP3dua08vF

— 芽唯👒🌻声優志望 (@nikonikomei) July 29, 2019

ポケモンセンター社員（しゃいん）の広告、すご～って見（み）てたら最後（さいご）のコイキングで笑（わら）った

= As I was looking at all the ads to hire staff for the Pokemon centers the last one with Magikarp made me laugh.

With over 1.1 million passengers daily, Shibuya station is THE perfect spot for companies to show their hiring ads. All they need (aside from paying an expensive advertising fee) is to come up with a creative ad campaign to generate social media buzz.

So what did Nintendo choose? Pokémon puns.

Each poster’s tagline is basically a word-play on a Pokémon’s characteristics. The purpose? Appealing to そんなキミに, “someone like you.”

Some of our favorites are:

Cubone (カラカラ, Karakara)

骨（ほね）のある仕事（しごと）ください = I want a job with backbone

Slowpoke (ヤドン, Yadon)

たまには肩（かた）の力（ちから）を抜（ぬ）かなきゃ = Sometimes, you need to take it easy

Snorlax (カビゴン, Kabigon)

目（め）も覚（さ）めるような仕事ないかな = Isn’t there a job that keeps me awake?

Magikarp (コイキング, Koi king)

のびしろしかない = I have no choice but to grow my potential

Meowth (ニャース, Nyarth)

やりがいもお金（かね）もある = (A job) worth doing that’s well-paid

How to say something is worth doing in Japanese

Meowth may want money, but he also makes a fair point: there’s nothing better than a job worth doing.

Let’s take a look at the simple yet interesting Japanese suffix がい. By itself, がい means that something is worth your time or your effort. The most common expression you’ll encounter is the combo する (to do) and がい.

• やりがいのある仕事 = A job worth doing (a fulfilling job)
• やりがいのある経験けいけん = An experience worth having

But がい can be coupled with other verbs as well. Take a verb, conjugate with the ます form, take out ます and add がい instead:

• 教（おし）えがいのある生徒（せいと） = A student worth teaching
• 読よみがいのある本ほん = A book worth the reading

Vocabulary

For more on learning Japanese

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