Our Mission
In recent years, the use of “Kigurumi” characters for regional revitalization and town promotion has become increasingly popular.
Additionally, events featuring Kigurumi characters as the main attraction have been held across the whole country, and there has been a growing trend of collaboration between characters from different regions to promote their respective areas.
Then our association was established with the goal of creating a network of characters across the nation, sharing information, and fostering deeper collaboration to promote local characters and energize towns.
One of our primary objectives is to support a diverse range of character activities that leverage regional characteristics.
Given the varied nature of local character operations, we do not provide individual definitions or suggestions regarding each character’s activity policies or industry practices. However, we are committed to exploring new fields where local characters can thrive and fostering further diversity.
We express our respect and affection for local characters, recognizing them as living existence that transcend mere promotional costumes by referring to them as ‘Kigurumi.’
President Shinsaku Arakawa
Definitions of Local Characters
The following texts are the definitions established by our association to clarify the support system and delineate certain boundaries.
Our registration review is conducted according to these definitions. Please make sure that the definition of “local characters” is specific to our association and does not compel adherence or deny the activities of characters that do not fit this definition.
● Characters created to promote a specific region (*1), its local specialties, tourist attractions or events, who are actively engaged in activities and aim to achieve local revitalization with love for their hometown, bringing energy and smiles to the community.
● Characters must exist in physical form rather than just as illustrations. However, they should not have an appearance resembling human skin.
*1) A specific region refers to the range within a single prefecture or smaller, such as a community within a shopping district. Activities that span multiple regions or involve a larger scope are evaluated and registered as “regional enterprise characters.”
[Additional Notes]
As a step-up definition for local characters…
● To collaborate with characters from other regions and actively work towards mutual regional revitalization through reciprocal exchange are needed for local characters.
● If managed by a company, the character must belong to a company that does not have multiple locations outside the local area. And if the character has a proven record of contributing to the local community without compensation and is recognized for such contributions by local residents, it is classified as a local character.
● If managed by a religious organization, the character is considered a local character if it contributes to local tourism (such as attracting visitors) and the religious organization’s temple or shrine is a tourist destination.
● If managed by another type of organization, the character is classified as a local character if it has a clear objective of increasing the town’s popularity and energizing the local community.
● Characters created for product promotion are considered local characters if the product contributes to enhancing the brand power of local specialties or products from a specific region.
Local characters are genuine entities that exist in their respective regions. Characters that engage in actions or statements that deny this existence are not considered local characters but rather kigurumi cosplayer.
History
| 2008 | An event where local characters from across the country gather is held in Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture. *This event is still ongoing |
| 2009 | Establishment and incorporation of theassociation |
| Establishment of Hokkaido branch | |
| Launch of the portal site ‘Local Characters Information Bureau | |
| 2010 | Establishment of Saitama branch |
| 2011 | Major corporate tie-up with ‘Asahi Jūroku-cha’ TV commercial ~2013 |
| Hosting of a large-scale event in Hanyu City, Saitama Prefecture (operational support) *Currently ongoing | |
| 2013 | Hosting of a large-scale event in Shirakawa City, Fukushima Prefecture (operational support) |
| Launch of the web program ‘Local Characters Broadcasting Station | |
| 2014 | Establishment of Tohoku branch |
| 2015 | Hosting of a large-scale event in Susaki City, Kochi Prefecture (operational support) *Currently ongoing |
| Launch of the local characters market ‘Charama’ | |
| 2016 | Hosting of an event for restoration support in Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture (operational support) |
| 2017 | Participated in an event in Taipei |
| Hosting of a large-scale event in Tomakomai City, Hokkaido (operational support) | |
| 2018 | Participated in an event in Tainan |
| Managed the operations of Hikone City characters (~ March 2020) | |
| 2019 | Signed cooperation agreements with Thai OSMEP, TCAP and several other companies |
| Hosting of a large-scale event in Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture (operational support) *Currently ongoing | |
| 2020 | Establishment of Tokyo branch |
| 2021 | Closure of the Saitama branch |
| Integration and renewal of the ‘Local Character Information Bureau’ and the association’s website | |
| 2022 | Hosting of a large-scale event in Izumisano City, Osaka Prefecture (operational support) *Currently ongoing |
| 2024 | Establishment of Shikoku branch |
Office
Hikone Main Office
〒522-0053
Room02
2038 Oyabucho, Hikone
Shiga
TEL ： 0749-22-1130
FAX ： 0749-22-1139
info@kigurumisummit.org
Hokkaido Office
〒003-0021
3-1-19 Sakaedori
Shiroishi Ward, Sapporo
Hokkaido
TEL ： 011-598-9499
hokkaido@gotouchi-chara.jp
Tohoku Office
〒020-0021
Royal Bldg. 2F
1-12-5 Chuodori, Morioka
Iwate
TEL ： 019-613-3718
FAX ： 019-613-3719
iwate@kigurumisummit.org
Shikoku Office
〒785-0036
1-12 Midorimachi,Susaki
Kouchi
TEL ： 0889-43-9393
mail：shikoku@gotouchi-chara.jp
