Weekly Oshikatsu News (May 23, 2025): Lawson's Casual Uma Musume Merch and NEC's Roblox Ad Tool

Here is our roundup of notable corporate oshikatsu (fan support activities) marketing and fan business news from the week of May 16 to May 22, 2025.

This Week’s Highlights

This week made it clear that where a brand places its touchpoints changes the intensity of interest among the fans who gather.

Lawson announced that its Uma Musume: Cinderella Gray campaign would sequentially roll out characters dressed in casual street clothes across stores nationwide starting May 27. McDonald’s released its Minecraft and Chiikawa Happy Meals (known as Happy Sets in Japan) on the same day; lines formed right on opening day, sending “Happy Set” trending on X. Cow Brand Soap Kyoshinsha refreshed its popular event—which has drawn a cumulative total of over 45,000 visitors—in Shimokitazawa. Meanwhile, Kasugai Seika unveiled a collaborative song with Hello! Project performed by a shuffle unit of seven members from seven groups.

At the same time, there were new developments in the metaverse space. NEC partnered with Brave group to begin proof-of-concept testing for a tool that measures advertising effectiveness inside Roblox. Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Stores also launched an initiative recreating Iwami Kagura, a traditional performing art from Shimane Prefecture, on VRChat to support regional revitalization.

DIAGRAMKey Figures from This Week's Fan Business News

45,000+: Cumulative attendance for Cow Brand Soap's Aka-Bako AWA-YA event series
143%: X posts mentioning Kasugai Seika's Tsubu Gummy as a percentage of the 2024 launch total
1,000,000+: Visitors to the creator marketplace BOOTH's VRChat world BOOTH Room
¥415M: Q1 FY2025 revenue for metaverse platform provider monoAI technology (+3.7% YoY)

Source: The Oshi Lab's summary of the article

Local Governments and Cultural Facilities Used Characters to Tell Regional Stories

Momoiro Clover Z × Kameoka City — Visualizing Fan Bonds Through Commemorative Live Concert Manhole Covers

On May 16, Kameoka City in Kyoto Prefecture installed manhole covers designed with an original logo for the idol group Momoiro Clover Z. Planned in conjunction with the 70th anniversary of the city’s municipal incorporation, the project commemorates the live concert event “Momoclo Haru no Ichidaiji 2024 in Kameoka City” held there in April 2024. Two manhole covers featuring the identical design were produced. They were installed outdoors in front of Nango Park and on the second floor (2F) of the Kameoka City Waterworks and Sewerage Department building, going on full public display starting May 17. Mayor Takahiro Katsuragawa commented that he hopes Mononofu (Momoiro Clover Z fans) from across the country and many tourists will visit the spot as a new attraction in Kameoka (AdverTimes. (in Japanese)).

In 2024, Fukuyama City in Hiroshima Prefecture also installed a manhole cover commemorating the staging of “Momoclo Haru no Ichidaiji.” Commemorative concert manhole covers have been steadily taking root as a municipal initiative aimed at fans.

The Oshi Lab Note: Kameoka City turned a one-off live concert event into a permanent physical fixture in the form of a manhole cover. With Fukuyama City carrying out a similar initiative, commemorative concert manhole covers are spreading as a way for local governments to engage fans.

Former Residence of Edogawa Ranpo × Detective Conan — Talk Event at Rikkyo University Celebrating a Reopening

The Former Residence of Edogawa Ranpo in Toshima Ward, Tokyo—where the mystery novelist Edogawa Ranpo lived for 31 years—reopened on May 19 following renovation work. On the preceding day, May 18, a commemorative event titled “Edogawa Ranpo DAY” was held at Rikkyo University’s Ikebukuro Campus. During the morning session, “The Encounter Between Detective Conan and Ranpo,” a screening of the anime special Detective Conan: The Ranpo Mansion Murder Case (which aired in November of the previous year) was followed by a talk show. The guest speaker was mystery writer Takahiro Okura, who wrote the screenplay. Both Ranpo fans and Conan fans holding merchandise of their respective favorite characters gathered at the venue, filling it to capacity (AdverTimes. (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab Note: The organizers layered a talk event featuring an existing anime onto the facility’s own milestone of reopening after renovations. By doing so, they simultaneously drew in two distinct audiences: fans of Ranpo’s original literary works and Detective Conan fans. This is a strong example of using a collaboration to broaden touchpoints and reach demographics that would be difficult to attract through publicity around the facility alone.

Kyoto Municipal Transportation Bureau’s “Get on the Subway” — First Anime Exhibition for Its Original Characters

From May 24 to May 29, the anime production studio Gyorai Eizo held an exhibition at the FRAME in VOX gallery in Sanjo Kawaramachi, Kyoto. It was the first exhibition dedicated specifically to animation for Chikatetsu ni Noru (“Get on the Subway”), the Kyoto Municipal Transportation Bureau’s character-driven promotional project. The prototype for the project originated in 2010 as PR characters conceived by a team of young Kyoto city employees tasked with increasing ridership. In 2013, the design firm GK Kyoto and illustrator Kamogawa refined the character designs. A new poster released on May 19 depicted Moe Uzumasa’s older sister, Rei Uzumasa, visiting Bishamondo Monzeki, a historic temple in Yamashina Ward. Thanks to a wide-ranging media mix spanning merchandise, animation, and novelizations, the project has also inspired a large body of fan art (AdverTimes. (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab Note: All three of these cases turn physical “places” owned by local governments or cultural institutions into destinations for fans to visit. The subjects are everyday civic infrastructure in the form of manholes, a cultural property in the form of Edogawa Ranpo’s former residence, and public transit PR in the form of the municipal subway. Through characters, each initiative creates a reason to visit places that are not originally meant for fandom. Oshikatsu marketing in regional areas can begin simply by taking inventory of local assets. Our guide to anime pilgrimage design principles also offers helpful context.

Convenience Stores and Restaurant Chains Rolled Out Foot-Traffic Campaigns Using Popular IPs

Lawson × Uma Musume: Cinderella Gray — Nationwide Rollout of Merch and Food Featuring Characters in Casual Clothes

Starting May 27, Lawson launched a campaign tied to the currently airing anime Uma Musume: Cinderella Gray. The campaign featured Oguri Cap, Belno Light, Tamamo Cross, and other characters dressed in casual street clothes. Customers who purchased three eligible confectionery items received an original clear file folder (available in seven designs) on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies lasted. Original food items included a “Hachimi Drink” as well as a large koppepan (hot dog-style sweet roll) and pudding inspired by Oguri Cap’s signature colors. In stores, Lawson also sold acrylic stands (six designs in total) and entertainment lottery tickets. In addition, the chain announced pre-order sales for extra-large tapestries and desk mats exclusively through @Loppi kiosks and HMV&BOOKS online (Inside (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab Note: Alongside in-store purchase bonuses, Lawson prepared exclusive merchandise for @Loppi and HMV&BOOKS online, creating purchasing opportunities for fans across both physical storefronts and e-commerce. Spreading a single campaign across multiple sales channels is a useful model for securing revenue opportunities without relying solely on physical store visits.

McDonald’s Happy Meal: Minecraft × Chiikawa — Opening-Day Lines and Purchase Limits

On May 16, McDonald’s Japan simultaneously launched Happy Meals featuring A Minecraft Movie and Chiikawa. On release day, “Happy Set,” “For Chiikawa,” and “Nearby McDonald’s” trended on X. Posts poured in describing scenes such as “The line stretches all the way outside, it’s wild” and “The drive-thru is packed too.” The Minecraft Happy Meal lineup comprised eight toys in total: six block toys and two figure-style toys. A purchase limit of four sets per customer across both collections had also been announced in advance (Inside (in Japanese), Game*Spark (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab Note: Both companies prepared an “unusual look” through casual outfits or cross-IP pairings. Lawson presented Oguri Cap in casual clothes instead of her signature racing uniform, while McDonald’s placed two distinct IPs side by side on the exact same day. Even with familiar characters, simply changing how they are presented creates a fresh reason for fans to head to the store.

Confectionery and Daily Goods Brands Expanded Participatory Campaigns with Idols and Characters

Tsubu Gummy × Hello! Project — 7 Members from 7 Groups Express a Product’s Multifaceted Appeal Through Song and MV

Following a well-received collaboration in 2024, Kasugai Seika once again teamed up with Hello! Project for its Tsubu Gummy candy brand this year. On February 6 (“Tsubu Day,” an anniversary established by the company), it released the music video for an original song titled “Watashi Premium.” Adding one member from the new group Rosy Chronicle to the previous shuffle unit “GOODM!X,” the company launched “GOODM!X PREMIUM,” bringing together seven members across seven groups in total. The song is structured so that three distinct musical styles—classic J-pop, girl crush, and big band—coexist in a single track. This structure expressed the multifaceted nature of “Tsubu Gummy PREMIUM,” which lets consumers taste and compare three different fruit varieties in a single bag. The number of posts on X containing “Tsubu Gummy” rose to 143% compared to 2024 (AdverTimes. (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab Note: Tsubu Gummy kept the momentum fresh by continuing a project that was well received the previous year while expanding the participating lineup to seven members across seven groups. Designing the product explanation and the collaborative concept as a single unit—such as reflecting the product feature of three fruit varieties directly in the song’s musical structure—is another point worth noting.

Cow Brand Soap’s “Minna no AWA-YA” — Refreshing an Event with 45,000+ Cumulative Visitors in Shimokitazawa

From May 23 to May 25, Cow Brand Soap Kyoshinsha held the event “Minna no AWA-YA meets Shimokitazawa” at the venue ADRIFT in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo. The event was a refreshed version of “Aka-Bako AWA-YA” (Red Box Bubble Shop), a popular event series previously held in cities including Kyoto, Fukuoka, and Yokohama that has drawn a cumulative total of over 45,000 attendees. It was also linked with the “Minna no AWA-YA” online shop, which opened in April 2025. Starting earlier on May 8, the company ran an advance digital stamp rally touring local Shimokitazawa shops across food, vintage clothing, and music that collaborated with the campaign. At the main event, long-awaited “Ao-Bako” (Blue Box) merchandise was unveiled to fans for the first time, alongside an interactive activity featuring “Aka-Bako Iroha Karuta” playing cards (AdverTimes. (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab Note: Cow Brand Soap kept a proven event going by framing it as a “refresh” and timing it to match the opening of its online shop. Tying the debut of new merchandise to a physical event allowed the brand to drive e-commerce initiatives and offline experiences at the same time.

Nippon Kodo × Chiikawa — Turning a Famous Commercial Song Featured in the Anime into a Fragrance Product

Beginning May 21, incense maker Nippon Kodo released “Incense Chiikawa Seiun (45 Sticks).” The collaboration grew out of the company’s classic television commercial song, “Seiun no Uta” (Song of Seiun). The song appeared in the main Chiikawa story as a favorite tune of the character Hachiware, and it generated buzz when the actual track played in the anime adaptation. The incense came in three scents: cherry blossom (sakura), soap (savon), and dandelion (tanpopo). It was sold at Chiikawa Land stores, Nippon Kodo’s directly managed shops, and its official online store (Inside (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab Note: Tsubu Gummy demonstrated the impact of its initiative with hard numbers, citing a 43% increase in X posts containing “つぶグミ” during the launch compared with the 2024 launch. Cow Brand Soap used its track record of 45,000 visitors as the basis for refreshing its event for the next stage. Both brands hold data on the response to their previous campaigns and use it to build internal support for the next project. Conversely, Nippon Kodo reacted swiftly when its own corporate asset (a commercial song) was serendipitously featured inside a creative work. The dividing line for brands is whether they have a system to actively pick up on fan-driven buzz rather than just waiting for it to happen.

Apparel and Lifestyle Brands Made Characters Part of Everyday Touchpoints

Shimamura × Dragon Ball — Commercializing the Turtle School Gi as Summer Jinbei Loungewear

At 5:00 p.m. on May 19, clothing retailer Shimamura opened online pre-orders for jinbei (traditional Japanese two-piece summer loungewear) recreating the Turtle School (Kamesen-ryu) martial arts uniform from Dragon Ball. Made of summer-ready mesh fabric in sizes M, L, and LL, the top-and-bottom set was priced at 2,970 yen (tax included). Pre-orders were accepted until 11:00 p.m. on May 24, with shipping scheduled for early to mid-June 2025 (Inside (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab Note: Shimamura translated an iconic costume from an anime series into practical summer jinbei at an everyday price point of 2,970 yen. Rather than limiting the item to niche collector merchandise, making it practical for daily wear lowers the hurdle to purchase.

Sanrio — Expanding Merchandise Touchpoints Through a Pop-Up Shop Tour and a Global Puzzle Game

A collaborative pop-up shop between illustrator Obungu’s character series Obungu to Issho (Together with Obungu) and Sanrio Characters kicked off on May 16 at Yurakucho Marui in Tokyo, with announcements that it would tour to Marui City Yokohama starting June 13 and Abeno RAKUBAS in Osaka starting July 11. The lineup featured 17 merchandise items in total, including pin badges and acrylic stands, along with an illustration card (11 designs in total) as a purchase bonus for every 2,000 yen spent (Anime! Anime! (in Japanese), Cho! Animedia (in Japanese)). Alongside this, it was announced that the puzzle game Hello Kitty Merch Match is scheduled to launch across 144 countries and regions worldwide in summer 2025. The game features over 1,000 types of Sanrio Characters merchandise, and pre-registration opened on May 22 (Anime! Anime! (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab Note: By announcing a touring physical retail pop-up and a global mobile puzzle game around the same time, Sanrio increased the variety of its touchpoints. Advancing multiple projects simultaneously around a single IP broadens the opportunities for fans to participate.

Pac-Man 45th Anniversary — Collaborating with Over 10 Brands in Shibuya and Harajuku

From May 22 to June 1, Bandai Namco Entertainment held the “PAC-MAN 45TH ANNIVERSARY” event celebrating 45 years of Pac-Man, centered at Tokyu Plaza Harajuku “Harakado.” The event featured collaborations with more than 10 brands across fashion, food, and lifestyle. In the cafe zone, Coffee Supreme sold coffee served in original mugs, and a hands-on corner let visitors try out the newest game, Shadow Labyrinth (which launched in July), ahead of its release (Shitakoe (in Japanese), Dengeki Online (in Japanese), TORSO JACK (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab Note: Shimamura incorporated an IP into a product at an everyday price of 2,970 yen. Sanrio mobilized separate channels—pop-up stores and a mobile app—at the same time, while Pac-Man bundled together more than 10 brands for a broad rollout. Although the unit prices, channels, and scales differ, all three share a strategy of “not showing the character in isolation.” Combining a character with something else in daily life brings it into view for people beyond the existing fanbase.

DIAGRAMHow Brands Shifted Character Presentation and Touchpoints This Week

Civic & Cultural Assets

Kameoka City installed permanent Momoiro Clover Z manhole covers
Edogawa Ranpo's former residence paired its reopening with a Detective Conan talk show
Kyoto's municipal subway held an anime exhibition for its PR characters

Retail & F&B Twist

Lawson featured Uma Musume characters in casual street clothes across stores and EC
McDonald's paired Minecraft and Chiikawa Happy Meals on the same release day
Nippon Kodo turned its classic commercial song featured in Chiikawa into incense

Everyday Goods & Multi-Brand

Shimamura adapted Dragon Ball's Turtle School gi into ¥2,970 summer jinbei
Sanrio paired a touring pop-up shop with a global puzzle game featuring 1,000+ merch items
Pac-Man teamed up with 10+ fashion, food, and lifestyle brands at Harakado

Source: The Oshi Lab's summary of the article

Gaming and Metaverse Infrastructure Expanded the Fan Economy

NEC × Brave group — Proof-of-Concept Testing for a Roblox Ad Effectiveness Visualization Tool

NEC developed a prototype for a new tool that measures and visualizes advertising effectiveness inside Roblox, launching proof-of-concept testing in partnership with Brave group in May 2025. In addition to tracking ad impressions, the tool can capture how long an advertisement remains within a user’s field of view. D1-Lab, a wholly owned subsidiary of Brave group, provided technical cooperation for the development. The companies announced that the trial would use Daruma Game, a Roblox experience recreating the traditional Japanese children’s game Daruma-san ga Koronda (similar to Red Light, Green Light), which has surpassed 6.5 million cumulative visits (Mogura VR (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab Note: By developing a tool capable of measuring dwell time within a user’s field of view alongside standard impressions, NEC is working to quantify the impact of metaverse advertising. Selecting an experience with a proven track record of 6.5 million visits as the testing ground also helps ensure reliable data.

Roblox × Shopify — Expanding Physical Merch Sales and Avatar Item Integration

Roblox announced that its Commerce APIs were leaving closed beta, with Shopify as the first integrated partner. Eligible creators can sell physical products inside their experiences and link purchases to certain digital benefits. The company also announced the Approved Merchandiser Program, linking purchases outside Roblox with avatar items (Mogura VR (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab Note: Roblox made it possible for eligible creators to sell physical goods inside their experiences and link purchases to digital benefits. This is a clear example of a platform lowering the barriers to merchandising and making it easier for companies to enter the metaverse.

VRChat “BOOTH Room” — Surpassing 1 Million Visitors with a Commemorative Campaign and World Release

“BOOTH Room,” a VRChat world run by the creator marketplace BOOTH, surpassed 1 million visitors. To celebrate the milestone, BOOTH held a commemorative campaign and released a purchasable edition of the world (which originally opened in August 2024) on May 20. Regularly priced at 5,000 yen (tax included), the world was offered on sale for 3,900 yen (tax included) until 10:00 a.m. on June 9. BOOTH also ran a giveaway campaign where users could enter by reposting an eligible post from the official BOOTH X account for a chance to win physical goods or merchandise production coupons from pixivFACTORY (Mogura VR (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab Note: All three of these stories are about foundational infrastructure: NEC is building a way to measure ad effectiveness, Roblox is building a way to sell physical merchandise, and BOOTH Room is building a way for fans to own their own virtual spaces. More than flashy experiences themselves, having the back-end infrastructure in place makes it easier for companies to justify investment decisions when entering the metaverse. The expansion of oshikatsu and technology moves forward through the steady accumulation of this kind of behind-the-scenes groundwork.

Funding and Financial Results Among Metaverse Companies Pointed to a Maturing Market

monoAI technology — Q1 FY2025 Financial Results Show Revenue of 415 Million Yen

monoAI technology, which operates the metaverse platform “XR CLOUD,” announced its financial results for the first quarter of the fiscal year ending December 2025. Revenue rose 3.7% year-over-year to 415 million yen, while operating losses narrowed substantially from 31 million yen in the same period the previous year to 8 million yen. In its full-year FY2024 revenue breakdown, metaverse services accounted for 51.7% of the total. The company also changed its primary KPIs from “number of events held” and “cumulative attendance” to “number of projects” and “average revenue per project” (Mogura VR (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab Note: By switching its KPIs from event counts and attendance to project volume and average unit price, monoAI technology is signaling a shift in management policy toward profitability over pure buzz. Viewed alongside the narrowing of its operating losses, this shows that the commercialization of metaverse businesses is moving forward.

Doji — Raising Approximately 2 Billion Yen for an AI Avatar Virtual Try-On App

US startup Doji raised approximately 2 billion yen ($14 million) in seed funding, led by Thrive Capital, to develop a virtual try-on app powered by AI avatars. Using a user’s selfie and full-body photo, the app generates an avatar in about 30 minutes and lets users try on various clothing combinations. Doji is aiming to build a social experience where users can share their try-on results across social media (Mogura VR (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab Note: By building in a mechanism to share try-on results on social media, Doji is aiming for word-of-mouth viral reach rather than remaining a simple fitting utility. The fact that major investment capital is flowing into virtual try-on experiences serves as a useful reference for companies considering similar experience designs.

Daimaru Matsuzakaya × Gotsu City, Shimane Prefecture — Recreating Traditional “Iwami Kagura” on VRChat for Regional Revitalization

Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Stores launched an initiative to recreate Iwami Kagura, a traditional performing art from Shimane Prefecture, in virtual reality, opening it to the public on VRChat starting May 28. Out of more than 30 traditional repertoire pieces, the project selected two signature performances: Orochi (The Giant Serpent) and Shoki (The Demon Queller). The company announced that the costumes of Shoki and Ekishin, characters from Shoki, would be made into 3D clothing for compatible avatars and distributed free of charge on BOOTH. From May 28 to June 1, Gotsu City in Shimane Prefecture also exhibited a booth at the “Regional Revitalization SDGs Fest” at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, structured so visitors could experience the project in both physical and virtual spaces (Mogura VR (in Japanese), PR TIMES (in Japanese), Metacul Frontier (in Japanese)).

The Oshi Lab Note: monoAI’s financial results offer a concrete example of metaverse businesses approaching profitability. Doji’s fundraising shows that investment capital is gathering around the intersection of fashion and AI avatars. And the Iwami Kagura project demonstrates that traditional culture can serve as fresh subject matter for the metaverse. Looking at all three together, we can see the metaverse market transitioning from one-off publicity stunts to a stage where revenue models, capital, and content pipelines are lining up.

This Week’s Takeaways

This week made it clear that even with the exact same character, simply changing the presentation and placement can create a compelling reason to visit a store or venue.

Lawson showed Oguri Cap in casual clothes, McDonald’s lined up Minecraft and Chiikawa on the same day, and the reopening of Edogawa Ranpo’s former residence was paired with Detective Conan. Each took an angle different from the usual routine. It was also striking to see three separate cases of local governments and cultural facilities weaving characters into regional storytelling. Manholes, a historic residence, and a municipal subway—all everyday civic infrastructure or cultural properties not originally meant for fans—were transformed into fan destinations through characters.

In the metaverse sector, behind-the-scenes systems that support user experiences are starting to fall into place, as seen in NEC’s ad effectiveness measurement tool and Roblox’s physical merchandise sales integration. Viewed alongside monoAI technology’s earnings and the VR adaptation of Iwami Kagura, the field feels as though it is shifting from a phase of generating buzz to one where profitability and sustainability are put to the test. Consider whether the physical places or existing assets your own company holds could be turned into touchpoints for fans. We encourage you to look over this week’s developments alongside our guides to oshikatsu marketing design principles and anime pilgrimage design principles.

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