Tomakomai places a wager on popular culture to increase tourism by supporting cosplay events

20 photograph locations

The scene was taken from the Tomakomai Cosplay Festa, which took place in November around various parts of the city. Twenty locations, including a municipal trash incineration facility and temples, were put up as picture locations for cosplayers costumed as anime and manga characters for the 10th edition.

Over 8,000 individuals attended the two days of the event.

The ocean, a park, or a temple are just a few of the photo locations you may select in Tomakomai to fit your character, according to a 32-year-old office worker from Iwamizawa, Hokkaido, who was dressing up as a gaming character.

Additionally, she added, meeting and taking photographs with people you talked to online is exciting.

In February 2014, the Festa got going. A trial cosplay event was staged in Tomakomai the year before by the Sapporo-based New Culture Economic Development Support Organization and other organizations, and roughly 200 individuals from inside and outside of Hokkaido participated. The inaugural Festa attracted roughly 7,000 guests because the Tomakomai Municipal Government joined the event's administration since they saw it as a useful tool to promote tourism during the off-season.

Some locals initially opposed the event, believing it was disrespectful to the city. However, Tomakomai lacked activities that may entice visitors from outside of Hokkaido, according to Kazuki Shirasaki, the 42-year-old head of the city's youth division. By utilizing the resources in the area, they could have an economic impact with the Festa.

With an estimated 16,000 attendees in 2019, the Festa has grown in popularity over the years and is now one of the city's most well-attended events. Over ¥50 million are said to comprise the economic effect. The COVID-19 epidemic caused a decline in visits in 2020 and 2021, although the most recent event has showed indications of recovery.

Cosplayers' interaction with one another is one of the event's key goals, according to Tetsuyuki Horiguchi, 53, head of the New Culture Economic Development Support Organization. Tomakomai has established itself as a gathering spot since it is close to the airport and port.

Partnering with business

Business collaboration has also been very important. Cosplayers are drawn to the guesthouse and former red brick office of Oji Paper's Tomakomai facility because of their sense of old structures, despite the fact that they are generally off limits to tourists.

According to a representative of one participating company—one of the 13 private companies that offered picture locations—cosplayers are well-behaved and cause no burden for staff. As a local business, they believe there is promise in Tomakomai, which has few tourism resources, the official added.

The online posting of images by many cosplayers aids in the promotion of the city and its businesses.

The event is quite alluring in terms of tourism, according to Takayoshi Yamamura, professor and head of the Center for Advanced Tourism Studies at Hokkaido University.

Fans may reproduce the world of manga and anime and engage with each other beyond their titles and origins in case spaces are created where people can take on the roles of the characters, he added.

An industrial port city called Tomakomai is concentrating on revival strategies employing popular culture like anime and manga. But there are a lot of problems with copyrighted works that need to be resolved.