YOKOHAMA (REUTERS) - More than 100 Pikachus danced and paraded in the Japanese port city of Yokohama on Monday (Aug 14), part of a festival celebrating the mobile phone game Pokemon Go.

"When a lot of Pikachus appeared, they were so cute I couldn't handle it," said Ken Kuno, 36, after watching the parade of chubby yellow characters.

The game requires players to "catch" virtual creatures, one of the best-known of which is the mouse-like Pikachu, by going to real-world locations where the game places them.

The festival, which is jointly organised by Yokohama city and The Pokemon Company, features a total of 15,000 Pikachus and will end on Tuesday, the event organisers have said.

The game became a global sensation upon its release in 2016, breaking records for mobile app downloads and revenue. The game's developers say that it has been downloaded 650 million times since its release.