FamilyMart's Playable Stores & JR Central's FF7 Oshi-Tabi [Weekly Oshikatsu News: Dec 19, 2025]

Here is our roundup of the most notable corporate oshikatsu (fan support activities) marketing and fan business news from the week of December 12 to December 18, 2025.

This Week’s Highlights

This was a week in which companies opened up their own existing infrastructure for oshikatsu.

FamilyMart announced a new strategy called the “Asoberu Konbini” (Playable Convenience Store). Its physical retail network spans approximately 16,400 stores nationwide, with total daily foot traffic reaching 18 million shoppers. The concept combines this store network with first-party data from 30 million users on its official FamiPay app (a scale of 50 million when partner data is included) to turn its stores into hubs for IP content distribution. Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) also used its “Oshi-Tabi” (Oshi Travel) program to turn the Tokaido Shinkansen bullet train itself into a venue for a collaboration with Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade. Meanwhile, Lotte used generative AI to let fans create an everyday item—business cards—as a project marking the 40th anniversary of its Bikkuriman “Devil vs. Angel” series.

On the data front, multiple reports backed up the scale of the market. A survey by Benesse found that 79.1% of responding high school students had an oshi in 2025 (a favorite idol, character, or creator they actively support). According to Roblox’s annual report, avatar updates reached 274 million times per day, and 70% of surveyed Gen Z users on the platform have worn branded digital fashion. Furthermore, the livestreaming platform Mirrativ listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market, positioning support for independent VTubers as a pillar of its new business.

DIAGRAMKey Figures Backing Fan Activity and Corporate Platforms This Week

18M: Daily shoppers across FamilyMart's ~16,400 stores nationwide
79.1%: Responding Japanese high school students who had an oshi in 2025 (Benesse survey)
274M: Daily avatar updates analyzed in the 2025 Roblox Replay report
5M+: Users who have streamed on Mirrativ ahead of its TSE Growth listing

Source: The Oshi Lab’s summary of the article

Convenience Stores and Apparel Retailers Turned Shoppers Into Gateways for IP

FamilyMart — Turning 18 Million Daily Shoppers Into an IP Distribution Hub With the “Playable Convenience Store”

On December 17, FamilyMart announced a new business strategy called the “Asoberu Konbini” (Playable Convenience Store). The company combined its physical network of roughly 16,400 stores across Japan with first-party data for 30 million users held by its official FamiPay app (reaching a scale of 50 million when combined with partner data). The initiative was designed to realize “retail entertainment” by serving as a distribution hub for IP content. Total daily customer visits across its stores stood at 18 million, and FamilyMart had deployed its “FamilyMartVision” digital signage across 11,000 locations nationwide. President Kensuke Hosomi explained that the company now had a unique infrastructure in place that combines both physical and digital strengths. For 2026, the chain planned collaborations with titles such as Jujutsu Kaisen. Starting December 19, reservations also opened for collaborative ehomaki (seasonal lucky sushi rolls) featuring Touken Ranbu ONLINE (AdverTimes. (in Japanese)).

The company also highlighted plans to expand consumer-to-consumer (C2C) services that allow individual creators to sell merchandise and run promotions using their own works.

Lab Note: The core of FamilyMart’s vision lies in repurposing its existing infrastructure—its store network and FamiPay purchasing data—directly into an IP distribution engine. It is able to handle multiple major IPs like Jujutsu Kaisen and Touken Ranbu in parallel precisely because this underlying foundation is so large. By incorporating individual creator C2C services into the same framework, it is evolving into a platform that both corporations and fans can use.

GU and Uniqlo — Rolling Out Back-to-Back Collaborations With Sanrio and Tamagotchi

GU launched a collaborative collection with “Sanrio Characters” on January 1, 2026, after opening early pre-orders on its online store starting December 15. The lineup featured sweatshirts and loungewear decorated with Hello Kitty and Pompompurin, with prices such as 2,990 yen (tax included) each for the Heavyweight Sweat Short Parka (Inside (in Japanese)). Uniqlo also released a Tamagotchi UT graphic T-shirt collection on December 19. Using the original pixel art from the digital pet toy first released by Bandai in 1996 as a motif, the collection featured designs of characters such as Mametchi and Kuchipatchi. Prices were 1,990 yen for each UT shirt and 2,990 yen for an Original Tamagotchi device, both including tax (Inside (in Japanese)).

Lab Note: In the same week, two specialty-store retailer of private-label apparel (SPA) brands from the same corporate group launched character collaborations. They divided the territory cleanly: GU targeted current active fan demographics, while Uniqlo tapped into nostalgia using an IP with nearly 30 years of history. As noted in our guide to design principles for oshikatsu marketing, IP collaborations do not cannibalize each other even within the same corporate group as long as you target different generations.

Railways and Dome Stadiums Used Characters to Create Reasons to Visit

JR Central × FF7 — Turning the Shinkansen Bullet Train Into a Stage for “Oshi-Tabi”

A collaboration between JR Central’s “Oshi-Tabi” (Oshi Travel) campaign and Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade ran from January 15 to April 15, 2026. Characters including Cloud, Tifa, Sephiroth, and Zack were newly illustrated dressed as railway staff. Mini acrylic stands, pass cases, and travel stickers were sold at Animate Nagoya and the Nagoya City Science Museum. On board the Tokaido Shinkansen, an original voice drama was streamed for passengers. When travelers presented a “Shinkansen Boarding Certificate” issued via the campaign website at Animate Nagoya, they received one random original acrylic keychain (out of three designs). A digital stamp rally was also held within the city of Nagoya, allowing participants who completed all three stops to earn a bonus postcard (Inside (in Japanese)).

Digital signage for the campaign was also broadcast at Tokyo Station and Nagoya Station.

Lab Note: This campaign links the act of riding the Shinkansen itself with a voice drama and boarding-certificate bonuses. Because of this, fans can enjoy the collaboration not only outside the ticket gates, but right in the middle of their travel time. Consolidating the merchandise sales and stamp rally into a single city—Nagoya—serves as a useful blueprint for creating both a travel destination and a local foot-traffic route at the same time.

Tokyo Dome × Godzilla — Implementing an Outdoor “Enthusiasm Experience” Through a New AR Venture

Tokyo Dome Corporation and Graffity Inc. jointly developed an outdoor augmented reality attraction titled “Godzilla AR: Godzilla vs. Tokyo Dome.” It opened on December 17 in the Viking Zone of Tokyo Dome City Attractions. Three companies—Toho, Shirogumi, and Graffity—collaborated on the production. Visitors were able to experience the overwhelming presence of an approximately 100-meter-tall Godzilla right at the real-world Tokyo Dome. According to Tsutomu Nagaoka, President, Representative Director, and COO of Tokyo Dome, the project began roughly three years earlier through conversations with Toho. Daisuke Shimoyama of the New Business Office highlighted the keyword “enthusiasm experience” (nekkyo taiken), explaining that precisely because we live in an era of increasing efficiency, they wanted to create room for emotion and imagination to enter (Mogura VR (in Japanese)).

Lab Note: Both the Shinkansen and the dome stadium share a common trait: they chose venues that inherently involve “transit” or “waiting time” as their stage. Having characters appear during the journey toward a main event, rather than only at the destination itself, allows companies to capture a longer window of engagement. Tourism and live entertainment businesses can expand where they place collaborations from the main facility out across the entire visitor flow.

Food and Beverage Brands Expanded Touchpoints Through AI and Overseas IP

Lotte — Turning the 40th Anniversary of the “Devil vs. Angel” Series Into “Oshikatsu Business Cards” With AI

On December 16, Lotte launched a campaign commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Bikkuriman “Devil vs. Angel” (Akuma VS Tenshi) series. Using generative AI, users could transform photos of their own faces into Bikkuriman-style characters and print them on customized business cards. Applications were accepted via the official website for a 40-day period running through January 25, 2026, with prices starting at 4,400 yen (tax included) for 100 cards. Lotte aimed to leverage the brand value of Bikkuriman, which first debuted in 1977, alongside the latest AI technology to create touchpoints with the next generation of consumers. Campaign representatives explained that they envisioned the cards being used not only in business settings, but also among friends, in hobby circles, and within oshikatsu communities (AdverTimes. (in Japanese)).

Lab Note: Lotte’s clever twist here was translating a 40th-anniversary IP from the “Devil vs. Angel” series into a practical item like a business card. By designing a card that works in both professional contexts and fan activities, Lotte removed the usual limitation that oshikatsu merchandise can only be used in private settings. Personalization powered by generative AI is becoming a way to turn long-established IPs into everyday tools.

IGIN × Zetton — A Liquor Brand That Drew Fans of BTS’s Jin to Restaurants in Shibuya

Restaurant operator Zetton ran a tie-in promotion with the South Korean liquor brand “IGIN” from October 15 to November 11. The project was featured in the January issue of the monthly magazine Hansoku Kaigi (Promotional Conference), released on December 1. Timed to coincide with IGIN’s five-day pop-up store in Shibuya, Zetton rolled out the campaign across four of its restaurants, including “Shibuya Zetton” and “Kankoku Pocha Iyo San Seoul” in Nakameguro. Each location set up character panels and photo booths featuring BTS member Jin, who serves as IGIN’s brand ambassador, and served the Korea-exclusive “IGIN APPLE GIN - PINK Edition” alongside products with Japan-exclusive labels. IGIN first landed in Japan in July 2025, and its canned “APPLE TONIC” had already generated buzz by selling out the same day in various locations where it was sold at Lawson (AdverTimes. (in Japanese)).

Lab Note: Lotte used its own in-house IP celebrating the 40th anniversary of the “Devil vs. Angel” series, while IGIN used an emerging brand brought in from overseas. Yet both chose small, everyday touchpoints—business cards and local restaurants. Together, they demonstrate that you do not need to book a massive event hall to create a fan space; everyday tools and neighborhood dining spots can be temporarily transformed into destinations for fans.

DIAGRAMHow Companies Repurposed Existing Assets Into Fan Touchpoints This Week

Existing Corporate Assets as Fan Hubs

Convenience Store NetworksFamilyMart linked 16,400 stores, 11,000 screens, and FamiPay data
Apparel Retail BrandsGU and Uniqlo segmented generations with Sanrio and Tamagotchi
Transit & Stadium PrecinctsJR Central and Tokyo Dome used travel and outdoor areas for IP
Everyday Items & DiningLotte used AI business cards while Zetton used 4 restaurants
Craft & Multi-Store Variety Retailtamaoworld used artisanal embroidery while Loft mobilized 118 stores
Ticketing, Streaming & ExamsAnimate, ABEMA, and Natsume's Book of Friends built repeatable formats

Source: The Oshi Lab’s summary of the article

Specialty Retailers Welcomed Fans With Both Artisanal Craft and Massive Scale

Sanrio × tamaoworld — An Indian Hand-Embroidery Pop-Up at Matsuya Ginza

A pop-up store carrying collaborative items between Sanrio characters and the brand “tamaoworld” was held at the 3rd-floor event space in the Matsuya Ginza department store from December 17 to December 25. Designed in Japan and finished with hand embroidery by skilled artisans in India, tamaoworld debuted its “Sanrio characters Carnival Dream” wallet pochette ahead of general release in two colors: metallic pink and metallic silver, priced at 31,900 yen (tax included). A pouch depicting Kuromi in sequin embroidery was also offered at 9,690 yen (tax included), with both items sold as limited-quantity pre-releases (Ginza Keizai Shimbun (in Japanese)).

Lab Note: By pairing a mass-appeal IP like Sanrio with a labor-intensive production method like Indian hand embroidery, this project established a price bracket completely distinct from mass-produced merchandise. A price tag of 31,900 yen is only accepted when backed not just by character recognition, but also by genuine trust in the materials and craftsmanship. For collaborative projects aiming to raise unit prices, this shows how the creator’s artisanal quality provides the necessary justification for the price.

Loft × Kingdom Hearts — A High-Volume Campaign Across 118 Stores Nationwide

Starting December 13, lifestyle retailer Loft launched the “KINGDOM HEARTS GOODS COLLECTION,” gathering Kingdom Hearts merchandise across 118 Loft stores nationwide. The campaign was structured in two phases: Phase 1 ran from December 13 to January 16, followed by Phase 2 from January 17 to February 15. Event-exclusive items such as Keyblade-shaped ballpoint pens and multi-pouches were prepared. Customers who spent 2,200 yen or more (tax included) in a single transaction received one of 16 “hologram bookmarks” on a first-come, first-served basis (Inside (in Japanese)).

Lab Note: While tamaoworld offered limited-quantity items at 31,900 yen, Loft deployed a mass-distribution model spanning 118 stores across two phases. They sit at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of unit price and store count, yet both rely on the same core driver: the exclusivity of “only available right now.” When considering the planning and design of limited-edition merchandise, teams need to decide early on whether their axis of scarcity will be raising the unit price or narrowing the number of locations.

Ticketing, Streaming, and Official Exams Turned Fan Touchpoints Into Infrastructure

Animate Ticket — A Dedicated Platform Spun Off From E-Commerce

Animate Ltd. announced the launch of “Animate Ticket,” a new ticket sales website specializing in anime, comics, and games. The company moved the ticketing products previously handled inside its existing Animate Online Shop onto an independent site. By linking its nationwide network of physical Animate stores with its Club Animate membership base, the platform was built to deliver information directly to highly engaged entertainment fans. Alongside ticket sales, Animate announced plans to roll out integrated initiatives including in-store promotions, bonus distributions, and tie-ins with related merchandise (Anime! Anime! (in Japanese)).

Lab Note: Carving ticket sales out from an e-commerce feature into an independent website is a move where a company with an established store network and membership base steps into the role of industry infrastructure. Being able to design everything as a single package—starting from a ticket and extending to in-store displays and merchandise tie-ins—is a distinct strength unique to companies that already hold a critical mass of fans. Standalone ticketing agencies would find this structure difficult to replicate.

[Oshi no Ko] × ABEMA — Simultaneous Terrestrial Broadcast and Exclusive Fastest Free Streaming for Season 3

ABEMA announced that it would offer simultaneous terrestrial broadcast and the fastest exclusive free streaming for Season 3 of the anime [Oshi no Ko], premiering January 14, 2026. The original manga, which was serialized in Weekly Young Jump and concluded in November 2024, had surpassed 25 million copies in circulation worldwide (including digital editions). ABEMA scheduled simultaneous free broadcasts every Wednesday at 11:00 p.m., followed by free on-demand streaming starting at 11:30 p.m. Throughout the broadcast run, viewers could also watch every episode from Season 1 up to the latest installment for free at any time (Anime! Anime! (in Japanese)).

Lab Note: Offering free streaming simultaneously with terrestrial television lowers the barrier to entry for viewers, while full-series availability creates an environment where fans can catch up on missed episodes anytime. Making all of this free is viable precisely because the original work boasts a massive scale of 25 million copies in circulation. Widening the top of the funnel to drive viewership of subsequent episodes is a helpful model for streaming campaigns supporting anime series whose source manga has already concluded.

Natsume’s Book of Friends Certification Exam 2026 — The Series’ First Official Exam Set for February

It was announced that the “Natsume’s Book of Friends Certification Exam 2026” (Natsume Yujin-cho Kentei 2026), testing fans’ knowledge of the TV anime Natsume’s Book of Friends, would be held simultaneously nationwide on February 22, 2026, both at a Tokyo venue and online. Marking the first official certification exam for the series, the announcement also unveiled a newly illustrated key visual and special bonuses for examinees. The original manga, serialized in Hakusensha’s magazine LaLa, had surpassed 18 million copies in cumulative domestic circulation (Anime! Anime! (in Japanese)).

Lab Note: Ticketing, streaming, and certification exams are all repeatable “formats” that can be run year after year. Certification exams in particular are an unusual mechanism: unlike merchandise or broadcasts that are simply consumed, they make the depth of a fan’s knowledge visibly measurable. We feel this kind of initiative is especially well-suited to long-running serialized IPs.

Survey Data and the IPO Market Backed Up the Scale of Oshikatsu

Benesse Survey — 79.1% of Responding High Schoolers Had an “Oshi” in 2025, With Nijisanji Ranking 5th

Benesse Corporation released the results of its “High School Students’ Awareness and Learning Survey 2025.” Surveying 756 first- through third-year high school students nationwide who used Shinkenzemi’s StudyCast and Study NEWS!, 79.1% responded that they had an oshi in 2025. In an open-ended tally of “the person or group I support the most,” Mrs. GREEN APPLE, Snow Man, Naniwa Danshi, and SixTONES lined up at the top, while the VTuber group “Nijisanji” ranked in 5th place (Mogura VR (in Japanese)).

Lab Note: What matters here is not just the 79.1% figure, but the fact that the VTuber group Nijisanji ranked right alongside real-life musical artists at the top of the list. For high school students, an oshi is no longer an object of devotion that distinguishes between the physical and virtual worlds. When companies design fan campaigns, they too need to rethink the assumption that real-world idols and VTubers belong in separate categories.

Roblox Annual Report — 70% of Surveyed Gen Z Users Have Worn Branded Digital Fashion

Roblox published its annual report, the “2025 Roblox Replay.” The report analyzed more than 274 million daily avatar updates and over 50 million search queries. It found that 70% of surveyed Gen Z users had experience wearing branded digital fashion, and 64% of respondents answered that they were very or extremely likely to consider a brand in the physical world after wearing it virtually. Furthermore, 88% said they try items on digitally before making an actual purchase. Total play time from the first quarter through the third quarter of 2025 reached 88.7 billion hours, and concurrent users hit 45 million in August. Daily active users in Japan grew by 120% between the fourth quarter of 2022 and the fourth quarter of 2024 (Mogura VR (in Japanese)).

Lab Note: The survey showed that 88% of respondents try items on digitally before buying, and 64% of respondents are very or extremely likely to consider a brand in the real world after wearing it in a virtual space. These numbers indicate that digital fashion has moved beyond mere entertainment to become part of the pre-purchase decision-making process. With daily active users in Japan up 120% over two years, Roblox has reached a scale that apparel and cosmetics companies can hardly ignore as a testing ground for promotions.

Mirrativ — Lists on TSE Growth Market, Making Independent VTuber Support a New Business

On December 18, Mirrativ, Inc. listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market. The company operates “Mirrativ,” a screen-sharing mobile livestreaming platform that launched in 2015 (the company was founded in 2018 after taking over the business from DeNA). To date, more than 5 million users have been active as streamers on the platform. In May 2025, Mirrativ announced a new business called “All for Streamers,” which supports creators streaming across other platforms such as YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok. In particular, the initiative emphasized robust support for independent VTubers not affiliated with corporate agencies (Mogura VR (in Japanese)).

Lab Note: When figures like 79.1%, 274 million daily updates, and 5 million streamers all line up in the same week, it becomes clear that oshikatsu is a market large enough to register prominently in macro statistics. Investment decisions backed by the market size of oshikatsu have reached a stage where they can be grounded firmly in empirical survey data.

AI Voice Partners Began Expanding the Definition of Oshikatsu

AIsis — Pre-Release Launch of an App Where Users Build Relationships With a Voice-Interactive AI

WESTE & Co. launched a pre-marketing release for “AIsis,” a voice-interactive AI partner app. Through repeated spoken conversations with a 3D bishojo (pretty girl) character, users could cultivate their own chosen dynamic—whether as a confidant, business partner, simulated romance, or friend. The AI was built to learn and remember the content of conversations with the user, shifting its responses and sense of emotional distance the more they talked. Conversation itself was structured as a point-based game, and earned points could be used to unlock dates, purchase items, and customize presentation effects. Alongside an “in-store mode” where users visit a virtual space, an “outside date mode” was also prepared (NEWSCAST (in Japanese)).

Lab Note: Unlike conventional oshikatsu, where fans support existing companies or human talents, AIsis turns the relationship itself with a fictional character prepared by a company into the product. Its point-based system for managing intimacy can be seen as taking a familiar sensation from traditional oshikatsu—the feeling that “accumulated time becomes an asset”—and importing it into a relationship with an AI.

This Week’s Takeaways

This was a week in which companies transformed their own existing foundations into the very touchpoints where they meet fans.

FamilyMart’s 18 million daily shoppers, the travel time aboard JR Central’s Shinkansen, and Lotte’s everyday business cards all share a common thread: none of them were new venues built from scratch for oshikatsu. Instead, companies reinterpreted assets they already held as “distribution hubs.” Mirrativ’s IPO likewise coincided with its expansion into support for independent VTubers on other platforms.

At the same time, data from Benesse and Roblox shows that the base of oshikatsu itself is broadening. Some 79.1% of high school students responding to Benesse’s survey had an oshi in 2025, and in a survey of Roblox users, 70% of Gen Z respondents reported having worn branded digital fashion. Moves to commercialize relationships with non-existent characters, such as AIsis, sit along an extension of this expanding horizon. Opening up an existing foundation is faster than building a new venue from scratch. That structural lesson should be applicable across any industry.

Which of your company’s existing customer touchpoints could be turned into a gateway for oshikatsu? Take a look at this week’s developments alongside our guides to the design principles of oshikatsu marketing and the fundamentals of fan marketing.

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.