Momotetsu Unites 52 Local Governments; Yukihana Lamy Sake Wins at IWC (May 30, 2025)

Here is our roundup of notable corporate oshikatsu (fan support activities) marketing and fan business news from the week of May 23 to May 29, 2025.

This Week’s Highlights

This week stood out for moves in which characters teamed up with companies and organizations in industries outside their usual territory.

At Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, the “Regional Revitalization SDGs Fest” opened on May 28. The Cabinet Office’s Office for Promotion of Regional Revitalization and KONAMI joined forces, with 52 local governments exhibiting through the world of the board-game-style video game series Momotaro Dentetsu (Momotetsu). The educational edition of Momotetsu had already been introduced in roughly 37% of elementary schools nationwide in Japan, showing a concrete link between gaming and public administration.

Meanwhile, hololive VTuber Yukihana Lamy and Meiri Shurui, a sake brewery in Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture, have been co-developing the “Yukiyozuki” sake series since 2020. With its 2025 award at the International Wine Challenge (IWC), a global alcoholic beverage competition, every product in the series through its third release has now won a medal. Elsewhere, Calbee opened a virtual space for its “Jagarico” snack on Roblox, and Fujiya’s mascot Peko-chan marked her 75th anniversary by teaming up with the Saitama Seibu Lions—who are also celebrating their 75th anniversary—to throw out a ceremonial first pitch. Overall, it was a week in which companies took their characters and intellectual property (IP) outside their traditional sales floors and streaming screens, expanding their activities into local governments, sake breweries, professional sports teams, and the metaverse.

DIAGRAMHow Brands Took IP Beyond Traditional Screens and Storefronts This Week

Character & Brand IP

Public Administration52 local governments exhibited through Momotaro Dentetsu at Expo 2025
Sake BrewingVTuber Yukihana Lamy and Meiri Shurui co-developed IWC medal-winning sake
Pro Baseball StadiumsFujiya's Peko-chan threw ceremonial pitches for the 75th-anniversary Lions
Railway & Mall OperationsVoice actors worked station duties at Odakyu; Lumine Est transformed 26 shops
Metaverse GamingCalbee launched a Jagarico hide-and-seek game and avatar items on Roblox

Source: The Oshi Lab’s summary of the article

Food and Beverage Companies Met New Customer Segments Through Anniversaries and Established Campaigns

Fujiya rolled out a collaboration between its character Peko-chan, who celebrated the 75th anniversary of her birth, and the Saitama Seibu Lions, who are likewise marking their 75th anniversary this season. At the May 28 game against the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, the team held a “Peko-chan Special Nighter,” where Peko-chan took on the ceremonial first pitch. They also held a rotary lottery (garapon) drawing where fans could win prizes such as 75th-anniversary uniforms autographed by players. Peko-chan had also taken the mound for a ceremonial pitch at the April 19 game against the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (AdverTimes. (in Japanese)).

A representative commented that the initiative serves as an opportunity for people to rediscover Peko-chan’s history and approachable charm.

The Oshi Lab’s Note: Peko-chan took the mound for ceremonial pitches multiple times across games involving different teams on April 19 and May 28. Rather than ending the effort as a one-off appearance, Fujiya repeated the same format to build up touchpoints with fans over time. When a collaboration rests on a shared milestone like a mutual anniversary, it becomes much easier to commit to recurring initiatives such as repeat appearances rather than a single publicity stunt.

Suntory Tennensui × Coji-Coji — Ran Takahashi Co-Stars as an Animated Character for the First Time

Suntory Beverage & Food Limited released a collaborative web commercial on May 12 pairing “Suntory Tennensui Kiritto Kajitsu” with Momoko Sakura’s manga and anime series Coji-Coji. In the spot, volleyball player Ran Takahashi appears as an animated character and shares the screen with Coji-Coji and friends in “Märchenland” (the Land of Fairy Tales). The campaign aimed to reach audiences that are difficult to connect with through mass media alone. Alongside Shingo Katori, who has appeared in commercials for the brand since 2022, Suntory cast Takahashi as a new face for the line (AdverTimes. (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: Both Fujiya and Suntory took an existing framework where an anniversary or commercial casting was already decided and layered a character with a dedicated fanbase onto it afterward. Joining an IP to an event or campaign that is already in motion carries a lower decision-making cost than building a brand-new project from scratch. The more a company runs annual anniversary programs or ongoing talent endorsements, the more worthwhile it is to look for opportunities to merge an IP into those existing slots.

Apparel Brands Closed the Distance with Anime and Toy Characters Through Everyday Wear

Uniqlo × Sylvanian Families — Turning the “Baby Collection” into UT Graphic T-Shirts

Uniqlo announced that it would release a UT graphic T-shirt collection in collaboration with Sylvanian Families (known in the US as Calico Critters) in late July 2025. Built around the “Baby Collection” theme that has surged in popularity in recent years, the lineup features four designs showcasing the Chocolate Rabbit Baby and friends, priced at 1,500 yen each (tax included) (Anime! Anime! (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: Uniqlo announced the collection roughly two months ahead of its release and set an accessible price point of 1,500 yen. By narrowing the focus to the recently popular “Baby Collection” theme, the brand made the shirts appealing to casual shoppers beyond existing core fans as well. The combination of an affordable price, early announcement, and a tightly focused theme offers an easy-to-follow template for apparel companies aiming to reach a broad customer base.

earth music&ecology × Futari wa Pretty Cure — Made-to-Order Knitwear Turns Transforming Heroines into Everyday Outfits

The TV anime Futari wa Pretty Cure (the original Pretty Cure series) teamed up with “Japan Label,” the collaboration label of apparel brand earth music&ecology. Starting May 23, pre-orders for collaborative items opened on the e-commerce site “STRIPE CLUB.” Inspired by protagonists Nagisa Misumi and Honoka Yukishiro, the lineup included a knit cardigan priced at 4,999 yen and a knit camisole at 3,999 yen, among other pieces. The order window was scheduled to run through June 9 at 11:59 p.m., with shipping slated for mid-to-late September (Anime! Anime! (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: Even though a 1,500-yen UT shirt and a roughly 5,000-yen made-to-order knit piece are both “wearable” goods, their price ranges and production methods form a sharp contrast. UT emphasizes the convenience of buying in-store once the collection launches, while made-to-order knitwear highlights a sense of exclusivity worth waiting months to receive. When apparel companies partner with an IP, choosing between these two axes clearly defines which segment of fans they are targeting.

DIAGRAMTwo Contrasting Apparel Collaboration Models

Mass-Market Retail (Uniqlo UT & Don Quijote)

Affordable, unified pricing (1,500 yen at Uniqlo; 2,199 yen at Don Quijote)
Nationwide store distribution or early announcement ahead of Uniqlo's planned late-July launch
Designed for easy impulse decisions and broad casual reach

Made-to-Order Exclusives (earth music&ecology & Alpen)

Higher price tier (such as 3,999–4,999 yen knitwear)
Reservation windows with delivery 3 to 5 months later
Designed for dedicated fans willing to wait for special items and controlled inventory risk

Source: The Oshi Lab’s summary of the article

Railways and Shopping Centers Brought Character Worlds Directly into Customer Service

Odakyu Electric Railway × The Shiunji Family Children — Two Voice Actors Work as Station Staff

A collaboration between the TV anime The Shiunji Family Children (Shiunji-ke no Kodomotachi) and Odakyu Electric Railway began on May 15. Odakyu’s Seijogakuen-mae Station serves as the real-life model for the station used by the seven Shiunji siblings in the series. On the opening day of the campaign, Chika Anzai (the voice of Banri Shiunji) served as Stationmaster for a Day, while Hana Hishikawa (the voice of Minami Shiunji) served as Train Crew Member for a Day. The two voice actors experienced hands-on station duties, including attending the morning assembly and giving departure signals (Anime! Anime! (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: Having the voice actors themselves participate in actual station operations like morning roll call and departure signals goes well beyond a standard photo op or merchandise booth. By overlapping the station from the story’s setting with the real-world station and having the cast perform the daily duties of its staff, the event created a tangible bridge between fiction and reality. For railway and infrastructure companies, the real showcase lies in whether they can turn their everyday operational routines into the experiential value of a collaboration.

Lumine Est Shinjuku × Lilo & Stitch — Rolling Out Across 24 Shops and Two Pop-Up Stores

Lumine Est Shinjuku announced that it would hold “GOOD MOOD ~~STITCH COLLECTION~~” starting June 1. Across a total of 26 storefronts—24 regular shops inside the building plus two pop-up shops—the mall planned to offer limited-design items. Original key visuals for the Disney film Lilo & Stitch were also slated to appear throughout the building, with select items made available on Lumine’s online store “i LUMINE” (Anime! Anime! (in Japanese), Animage Plus (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: Putting voice actors in station uniforms and filling a shopping center with Disney visuals and music both reshape frontline staff and building infrastructure into mechanisms for stepping inside a fictional world. While many companies simply line up merchandise on a shelf, turning customer service and the venue itself into part of the work is what differentiates facility-based businesses. This approach shares a close design philosophy with anime pilgrimage (seichi junrei).

Restaurants and Cafes Created Reasons to Visit Through Game Collaborations

On May 23, HoYoverse announced a collaboration between its action RPG Zenless Zone Zero and the pizza chain Pizza-La, running from May 27 to June 18. Customers who ordered designated collaboration menu items received a “Full Flavor Pack” (Mikaku Manten Pack) containing a limited-edition in-game avatar icon, in-game currency, and other digital bonuses. Even customers who purchased set meals outside the collaboration menu had a chance to obtain a separate digital pack (Inside (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: Because customers could also earn a separate bonus pack by ordering non-collaboration sets, the entry point for ordering widened another notch. Furthermore, the perks—in-game icons and currency—are items that aren’t consumed on the spot yet satisfy a fan’s desire for ownership, and they carry virtually zero physical manufacturing cost. When restaurant chains team up with gaming IPs, choosing digital bonuses is a useful model for generating ordering motivation without carrying physical merchandise inventory.

Komeda’s Coffee × Pokémon Center Nagoya — Lottery Resale for Instantly Sold-Out Goods

The Pokémon Company held a lottery sale for six items from its “Komeda’s Coffee × Pokémon Center Nagoya” collaboration line. These products had sold out almost immediately upon their initial release in October 2024, and the new lottery entry window ran from May 23 until May 27 at 4:59 p.m. Featured items included a Sophia-style brass mug for iced coffee priced at 5,940 yen and a boot-shaped glass for 3,300 yen. It was also announced that the Pokémon Center Nagoya physical store would sell the items from May 30 to June 3 using an entry lottery system (Inside (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: Whether it is a meal that comes with in-game currency or a resale held roughly seven months after an initial sellout, both initiatives create a motive of “ordering specifically because of this collaboration” rather than simply “wanting something to eat right now.” When food-service brands partner with an IP, preparing add-on items whose value only fans truly appreciate is more likely to drive repeat engagement than offering price discounts or ordinary new menu items.

Retailers and Theme Parks Drew Fans with Merchandise Lineups and Venue-Exclusive Displays

Don Quijote × Pokémon — Rolling Out 17 T-Shirt Designs Nationwide

Takara Tomy Arts began sequentially releasing apparel items based on the Pokémon TV anime across Don Quijote discount stores nationwide starting May 24. The lineup consists of 17 designs in total: five featuring Poké Balls on the front, and 12 showcasing Pokémon illustrations exclusively on the front. Available in men’s sizes M, L, and LL, every shirt is priced uniformly at 2,199 yen (tax included) (Inside (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: The standout features here are the sheer variety of 17 designs and the highly accessible distribution channel of Don Quijote stores across the country. Even though the artwork varies across all 17 options, the price is unified at 2,199 yen. This creates the fun of browsing in-store without making the purchasing decision complicated. Keeping shoppers entertained with wide variety while maintaining a single, simple price is a foundational blueprint for mass-retail merchandise rollouts.

Alpen × Uma Musume × NEW ERA — Second Wave of a Hat Brand Collaboration

Sporting goods retailer Alpen opened pre-orders for limited-edition items pairing “BoC’z we\n”—an in-universe project from Uma Musume Pretty Derby—with the headwear brand NEW ERA. Following strong reception for the first wave of the project, which launched in April 2025, this release marks the second installment. Alpen announced headwear and apparel spanning three teams from the project, with reservations open through June 3 and shipping scheduled for September to November (Inside (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: Two points stand out: this second wave moved forward directly in response to strong demand for the first wave, and it uses a made-to-order model requiring three to five months from reservation to delivery. Even though the in-universe project only launched in April 2025, it has already become an ongoing merchandise series because the partners took a phased approach—testing the waters with a first release before building the next. Gauging fan response before scaling up serves as a practical risk-management model for companies starting a new IP collaboration.

Tobu World Square × The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls — Exclusive Mini Panel Display for a Tochigi-Born Idol

“The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls × LeisurFest” was announced as a joint event held across 11 leisure facilities nationwide. Tobu World Square announced that it would participate as the Tochigi Prefecture venue starting June 4. A mini-character standee panel of Akane Hino, an idol born in Tochigi Prefecture, was set up as an exhibition exclusive to the park, alongside merchandise sales and in-park audio broadcasts featuring idol voices (AtPress (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: Compare T-shirts you can buy almost anywhere in the country, limited-window pre-order caps, and a character panel you can only see inside one specific theme park. Even though all three fall under “merchandise and display rollouts,” the breadth of where fans can obtain or experience them could not be more different. Mass retail competes through wide availability, whereas theme parks compete through narrow locality. Both approaches make strategic sense as designs for exclusive perks (tokuten).

Government and Platforms Turned Fan Passion into Regional Outreach and Individual Creator Support

Cabinet Office × KONAMI — A Regional Revitalization Fest Bringing Together 52 Local Governments Through Momotetsu

At the EXPO Exhibition Center “WASSE” at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, the “Regional Revitalization SDGs Fest” opened on May 28 and was scheduled to run through June 1. Co-hosted by KONAMI and the Cabinet Office’s Office for Promotion of Regional Revitalization, the event used the world of Momotaro Dentetsu as its motif, bringing together 52 local governments from Hokkaido to Okinawa to showcase their local appeal. A KONAMI representative revealed that the educational edition of Momotetsu has been introduced in roughly 37% of elementary schools across Japan (Game*Spark (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: The fact that the educational edition of Momotetsu is already used in about 37% of elementary schools nationwide may have helped support a partnership with a national government body like the Cabinet Office. Beyond the game’s household name recognition, its proven track record in classrooms—outside pure entertainment—likely propelled the public-sector collaboration forward. When companies seek to bring an IP into government or public initiatives, building up a track record of social or educational utility alongside entertainment value provides strong leverage at the negotiating table.

Mirrativ — Launching “All for Streamers,” a New Business Supporting Independent VTubers

At a new business presentation, Mirrativ, Inc. announced “All for Streamers,” an initiative designed to reach beyond its own mobile app and support livestreamers active on external platforms such as YouTube and Twitch. In particular, the company outlined a policy of providing robust support for independent VTubers who are not affiliated with corporate agencies. The business offers the stream production tool “CastCraft” and the casting service “V-Cas” (Buikyasu), noting that it had already built a track record working with companies such as Tencent and Square Enix (Mogura VR (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: KONAMI repurposed its game into a public relations vehicle for local governments, while Mirrativ adapted its streaming know-how into support services for independent creators. In both cases, the companies took the data and operational systems accumulated in their core businesses and opened them up for external actors to use directly. These examples show that sharing practical fan-business infrastructure outside company walls—rather than hoarding it internally—can expand the entire market, an insight that also applies to oshikatsu marketing design.

A Food Maker Entered the Metaverse, and a Sake Brewery Co-Developed Award-Winning Products with a VTuber

Calbee × Roblox — “Jagarico” Opens a Dedicated Virtual Space in the Metaverse

On May 22, Calbee launched a dedicated virtual space for its “Jagarico” snack brand on the online platform Roblox, titled “Jagarico Hide-and-Seek! Find the Giraffes!” (Jagarico Kakurenbo! Kirin-tachi wo Sagase!). Set inside a house, the experience is an exploration game where players search for 11 hidden “Jagarico Giraffes.” Calbee simultaneously began selling avatar items modeled after Jagarico packaging (Mogura VR (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: Calbee did not stop at merely building a virtual room. It simultaneously prepared a reason to play—an exploration hide-and-seek game—and a reason to buy, in the form of avatar items shaped like snack packages. In metaverse collaborations, simply having a space rarely generates dwell time on its own; this initiative combined gameplay and monetization. Food manufacturers entering the metaverse need to architect the user experience and revenue model as a single package.

Meiri Shurui × Yukihana Lamy — Every Release in the “Yukiyozuki” Sake Series Wins an IWC Medal

hololive VTuber Yukihana Lamy and Meiri Shurui, a sake brewery based in Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture, have been co-developing the “Yukiyozuki” sake series. Within that lineup, “Sparkling Yukiyozuki” (Bihappo Yukiyozuki) won a Silver Medal in the Sparkling Sake category at the International Wine Challenge (IWC) 2025, one of the world’s premier alcoholic beverage competitions. Throughout the project, Yukihana Lamy herself consulted with the brewery starting from the selection of sake rice and yeast, and the brewing itself was also carried out at the brewery in Mito City. Following previous wins in 2022 and 2023, this latest award means that every product in the series has now earned an IWC medal (Mogura VR (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab’s Note: Both the Roblox exploration game and the sake brewing project are structured not around merely “displaying” a VTuber or product, but around involving the talent or player directly in the creation and experience process. “Yukiyozuki,” in particular, is a multi-year ongoing collaboration spanning five years since 2020, where building up from a single win to having every release in the series earn a medal cemented its reputation. It is a standout example of earning the kind of credibility over time that a one-off licensed product simply cannot achieve.

This Week’s Takeaways

This week, companies took their proprietary IP and streaming know-how outside their core businesses and embedded them directly into the operational workflows of other industries.

Momotetsu became a regional PR tool for local governments, Yukihana Lamy became a co-developer at a sake brewery, and Mirrativ’s livestreaming expertise became a support service for independent VTubers. In every case, companies moved a step beyond simply putting a character on merchandise to sell, integrating their assets into their partners’ actual business processes. Thinking about collaborations in terms of functional integration rather than standalone merchandise was the defining trend of the week.

At the same time, approachable apparel rollouts that fans can buy nationwide—like those at Uniqlo and Don Quijote—continue to move forward in parallel. A 1,500-yen UT graphic T-shirt and a five-year sake brewing partnership sit at opposite ends of the spectrum. Whether a brand chooses accessible breadth or time-intensive depth depends on how long it intends to build a relationship with that fanbase. Alongside the design principles of oshikatsu marketing and fan marketing, use this week’s developments to examine which axis your own collaborations occupy.

Weekly Oshikatsu News brings you a weekly roundup of oshikatsu and business developments. You can browse past issues in the Oshikatsu × News category.