Hocotate

Hocotate

Hocotate Freight's yard and surrounding architecture

Hocotate is Captain Olimar's home planet.

Geology

The name "Hocotate" comes from Nintendo Japan's headquarters' street address, 11-1 Kamitoba hokotate-cho. From what can be seen, at least part of the planet is desert-like, though the President notes a location known as the "Hocotate Swamp". The planet shows some signs of flora growing on its surface, including vegetables (Pikpik carrots for example). When viewed from space, the planet itself is purple-coloured and possesses a set of two intersecting planetary rings. Hocotate Freight appears to be in or near a built-up area, which suggests that at least some of Hocotate may be densely populated. Olimar's wife mentions 'hot springs' in one of her e-mails, indicating that geothermally heated water exists in the planets crust.

In the opening scene of Pikmin 2, Hocotate can be seen with two neighboring planetoids, likely moons. An incredibly bright star can be seen behind Hocotate, possibly a sun, indicating that it most likely exists in a different star system to ours. Stars are visible from the surface during the daytime, indicating a thin atmosphere. It's possible that anti-matter exists in larger quantities than Earth, as Hocotatians have developed a device which is powered by positrons, the anti-matter counterpart of electrons. In a possible reference to urban Japan, a building resembling a capsule hotel is shown.

Species

Hocotatian people are around 2cm (3/4 in.) tall, about the size of a nickel. It it uncertain what sort of gas they breathe as a means of respiration, though oxygen gas is known to be extremely poisonous to them; Olimar and Louie must protect themselves while on the Planet of the Pikmin by wearing a spacesuit. Because of this, there must be little or no oxygen in the planet's atmosphere. Bulbie, Olimar's pet, is shown to be a bulborb-like species which act similary to dogs.

Technology

The technology is very advanced, as minuscule Gluon particles have been utilized (evidenced by the Gluon Drive part in Pikmin 1) and even a source of endless energy (the Eternal Fuel Dynamo).

Goverment

Hocotate is shown to be commercialised; it's currency is the Poko, a small type of coin that resembles those from the Super Mario series. Items from the Pikmin Planet are considered extremely rare treasures, and can be worth a particularly large amount of Pokos, many of which helped Olimar and Louie pay off their company's debt of 10,100 Pokos. (In comparison, 100 Pokos is more than a year's salary for the President of Hocotate Freight.) A Mayor of Hocotate is alluded in Olimar's notes on some occasions.