Hocotate

Hocotate, when viewed from space

Hocotate Freight's yard and surrounding architecture

Hocotate is Captain Olimar's home planet.

It is a purple-coloured planet that possesses a pair of two intersecting planetary rings. Its exact location in the universe has yet to be specified, though it most likely takes place in another star system to ours as an incredibly bright star can be seen behind it. In Olimar's Ship Log, he explains that his family is probably gazing up at the planet's "pale red moon". Stars are visible from the planet's surface during the daytime, indicating a thin atmosphere. As Hocotatians find oxygen gas poisonous, there must be little or no oxygen in this atmosphere.

Geology

File:SSDolphinLoanSharks.jpg

Note the wind and clouds in the back/foreground

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). 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 planet's crust. Olimar's family also mentions a beach, suggesting that the planet has at least one ocean.

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. Bulbie, Olimar's pet, is shown to be a bulborb-like species which act similary to dogs. An un-named plant species can be seen growing in Hocotate Freight's yard as well. Olimar mentions that there are mosquitoes in one of his journal entries.

Technology

The technology is shown to be 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). It is strange, however, that in Pikmin 2's Treasure Hoard Olimar's notes say that the technology behind a light bulb (called the Stellar Orb in-game) is completely unknown to his people.

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, though his status in Hocotatian goverment is unknown.

Trivia

• The name "Hocotate" actually comes from Nintendo of Japan's headquarter's address; 11-1, Kamitoba-hokotate-cho.
• In a possible reference to urban japan, a building resembling a capsule hotel is shown.