Sure, something seems wrong when you consider that people these days don't notice that a creature is dying out unless it is directly connected to something in a video game, and something that doesn't exist. However, these are the times we live in, and Pokemon continues to be the phenomenon that dominates.
This is actually the second annual event for Niantic and The Pokemon Company to team up with the Tottori Prefecture, with the last one taking place in November of 2017 over three dys and drawing over 90,000 visitors. This time, however, the event will be longer, lasting from December 6th to December 19th.
The Shiny Variants of Sandshrew and Sandslash above (courtesy of Pokemon GoHUB) initially appeared in Japan, alongside the roped off Tottori Sand Dunes which are currently unavalable to trainers. This event is going to take place from December 6th when it began until December 19th.
There have been reports that since Shiny Sandshrew's inception into the game, he has since spread accross to other regions. Also - Alolan Sandshrew has been said to have been seen in the wild for the first time as well.
Above is the trailer for Pokemon which Go is available for mobile, free to download on iTunes and Google Play, for whichever mobile device you keep your Pocket Monsters in!