Okayama town seeks cosplayers to revitalize old community | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis
Okayama town seeks cosplayers to revitalize old community
July 3, 2026 at 07:00 JST
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Cosplayers pose during an event in Fuji Park in Wake, Okayama Prefecture, on May 2. (Shotaro Watanabe)
WAKE, Okayama Prefecture—Municipal officials here have embarked on a bold project involving neighboring cities, international tourists—and especially cosplayers–to revive this rural aging town
Wake town has long had friendly relations with cosplayers. But officials want to take such ties further by bringing in more cosplayers from all corners of Japan and abroad
They hope the cosplayers can further promote the natural beauty and charms of Wake and surrounding areas to the world
YOUNG AND OLD
During the Golden Week holidays in early May, a cosplay photography event was held under the light purple wisteria flowers in Wake’s famed Fuji Park
“Fuji” is Japanese for “wisteria,” and the park is home to 140 wisteria trees of 100 or so varieties
Cosplayers distributed cups of “amazake” sweet rice drink to park visitors who had come to view the flowers at around noon
“You are so cute,” an elderly woman who received a cup said to one cosplayer
“Your costume is so lovely,” another visitor said
Some of the flower viewers ended up posing with the cosplayers for commemorative photos
Megu, a cosplayer who helped to distribute the amazake, said she regularly comes to Wake for cosplay events during the peak seasons for cherry blossoms, wisteria flowers, autumn leaves and other natural spectacles
“Wake’s residents are very kind to us cosplayers,” Megu, a resident of Takamatsu, the capital of Kagawa Prefecture, said. “Some restaurants here allow us to dine in our cosplay outfits. I feel very grateful for that.”
MANGA CONNECTIONS
Wake authorities set their sights on cosplay about three years ago
The town government at the time tied up with a popular manga called, “If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It to the Budokan, I Would Die,” which is set in Okayama Prefecture
The joint publicity campaigns were run under the catchphrase, “Wake wakaran machi,” a pun that roughly translates as “a town that doesn’t make sense.”
Wake officials realized the potential of cosplayers when the town was promoting interactions with people outside the municipality
Cosplayers are mostly young people who use social media. Their posts could help publicize Wake through photos or selfies showing the town’s landscapes
Wake officials had found it distressing that many tourists simply drove through the town or stayed only briefly
Cosplayers, by contrast, have remained in Wake for eight hours or so to change clothes, take photos, eat meals and do other things
SEPARATED TOURIST AREAS
Wake is part of eastern Okayama Prefecture, home to various tourist spots
They include: the producing center for Bizen ware pottery, one of the “Six Ancient Kilns” of Japan; the former Shizutani School, also in Bizen, whose lecture hall has been designated a national treasure; Fuji Park in Wake, which some call the best wisteria viewing spot in Japan; and Okayama Forest Park German Forest in Akaiwa, which offers Europe-like scenery
Cars are generally needed to visit these spots, which is not a problem for many cosplayers, who often use vehicles to haul their heavy loads of costumes, accessories and camera equipment
Although the scattered tourist sites have proved popular photo spots for cosplayers, they seem unfit for organized tours
Wake is trying to change that
The town’s tourism association in spring enlisted the help of tourism officials in the neighboring municipalities of Bizen and Akaiwa to kick-start a tour project that draws on cosplay
Project officials this fiscal year plan to organize tours of all three municipalities and work out a manual that includes guidelines for cosplayers
One of the biggest targets for this project is Taiwan
TOUR PACKAGES FOR TAIWANESE
Direct flights are available between Taiwan and Okayama Airport
Project officials plan to work with a private travel agency to arrange tour packages for Taiwanese cosplayers
Under tentative plans, Wake tourism officials would pick up Taiwanese cosplayers at Okayama Airport or JR Okayama Station, provide rental props, such as model guns and imitation swords, and arrange photo sessions
Kiyotaka Arai, a community project manager with the Wake town government’s community management division, is spearheading the project
“Cosplayers are bringing vitality and liveliness to our regional community,” Arai, 48, said. “For example, young cosplayers who come to this town often eat at restaurants operated by elderly residents. Elderly locals often praise the cosplayers for their ‘lovely’ costumes.”
Arai also expressed his hopes for Taiwanese cosplayers
“Cosplay and other forms of pop culture are thriving there,” he said. “We hope to lure that enthusiasm into Wake and other municipalities in this area to help revitalize our regional economy.”
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