Weekly Oshikatsu News (June 19, 2026): Lotte's 648 Yukimi Daifuku Combos & Pokémon's 30th at 234 Rest Stops
Here is our roundup of notable corporate oshikatsu (fan support activities) marketing and fan business news from the week of June 12 to June 18, 2026.
This Week’s Highlights
The keyword for this week was turning anniversaries into triggers for hands-on experiences.
Experiential stores featuring long-running and popular characters expanded on the occasion of anniversaries and entries into new regions. Kinnikuman STATION made its Kansai debut, THE★JOJO WORLD announced plans for its first anniversary, and sanrio house announced its first location in western Japan. Kinnikuman is a long-running IP (intellectual property) with over 77 million copies in circulation across the series. Rather than an anniversary, this event generated buzz through the angle of expanding into untapped territory.
There was also movement in the food and telecommunications industries. In Nakameguro, Tokyo, Lotte opened a limited-time physical store where customers could customize its classic frozen treat “Yukimi Daifuku” in 648 different ways. Meanwhile, Suntory and the three NEXCO highway operators—NEXCO East, NEXCO Central, and NEXCO West—simultaneously rolled out initiatives timed to the 30th anniversary of Pokémon. Suntory released 18 “Evolution Bottle” designs across popular beverages, while the NEXCO companies organized a stamp rally across 234 highway service areas (SAs) and parking areas (PAs) nationwide. Additionally, the photo exhibition “Baku-More Ten,” hosted by NTT Docomo, won the Japan Event Grand Prize out of 174 entries.
In the VTuber space, Mujuryoku and Kotobukiya announced the establishment of a joint venture called “VEID.” By pairing a company that holds technology for building experiences with one that holds the capability to build IP, the two aimed to construct an integrated business operation structure extending all the way to merchandise commercialization.
- 77M+
- Cumulative copies in circulation for the long-running Kinnikuman series
- 648
- Customizable combinations at Lotte's limited-time Yukimi Daifuku store in Nakameguro
- 234
- Highway service and parking areas nationwide joining NEXCO's Pokémon 30th stamp rally
- 174
- Total entries in the 12th JACE Event Awards, won by NTT Docomo's Baku-More Ten
Source: The Oshi Lab's summary of the article
A Week When Long-Established Characters Used Anniversaries to Expand Experiential Shops
CCPJAPAN × Kinnikuman — “Kinnikuman STATION” Held at Kyoto Station for Its Kansai Debut
It was announced that “Kinnikuman STATION,” co-hosted by CCPJAPAN Co., Ltd. and Suguru Co., Ltd., would run from Friday, June 19 to Thursday, June 25. The venue is the Ekimaru a la Mode JR Kyoto Station West Exit store inside JR Kyoto Station. Marking the first Kansai appearance for an event previously held mainly in Kanto and eastern Japan, the pop-up was announced to feature figures, apparel, and everyday goods. Kinnikuman began serialization in 1979 and had surpassed 77 million copies in circulation across the series, while sales of its “Kinkeshi” character erasers exceed 180 million units. It was announced that shoppers spending 3,000 yen or more (tax included) at the venue would receive a special uchiwa hand fan, and that purchasers would also receive numbered tickets on a first-come, first-served basis for a “photo and handshake session” (Anime! Anime! (in Japanese)).
Lab Note: Framing an event as a “first appearance in Kansai” is a classic expansion strategy that brings a format with a proven national track record into an untapped region. By offering a novelty gift for purchases of 3,000 yen or more and handshake-session tickets to purchasers on a first-come, first-served basis, this design raises average customer spend while leaving visitors with a tangible sense of participation. For retailers with regional locations, this case is a strong example of how to roll out an existing concept horizontally at low risk.
THE★JOJO WORLD — The Experiential Shop at Shibuya PARCO Marks Its 1st Anniversary
“THE★JOJO WORLD” (on the 6th floor of Shibuya PARCO), the official experiential shop for JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, will mark its first anniversary on July 24, 2026. Ahead of that date, commemorative initiatives scheduled to begin on July 24 were announced on June 12, when applications for lottery-based admission reservations also opened. The shop plans to roll out multiple initiatives at the same time, including merchandise featuring newly drawn illustrations, two new mini-games, and collaboration T-shirts with the apparel brand glamb. Its official X account also ran a follow-and-repost campaign. Admission to the store is free, with fees charged only for playing attractions and mini-games (Anime! Anime! (in Japanese)).
Lab Note: A model of free admission paired with paid experiences works particularly well with a first-anniversary campaign. Rather than stopping at new merchandise, the store plans to introduce mini-games and collaboration apparel simultaneously. This creates multiple reasons to return instead of letting a visit remain a one-time trip. Approaching an anniversary campaign as a refresh of the experience rather than a one-off sale is an idea that can be applied across permanent experiential facilities in general.
Sanrio — “sanrio house” Opens Its First Western Japan Store at LUCUA Osaka
The second location of “sanrio house,” a new store concept supervised by Sanrio, is scheduled to open on the 6th floor of LUCUA Osaka on June 30, 2026, marking the concept’s first store in western Japan. Plans include life-size figures of characters such as Hello Kitty and Cinnamoroll in a photo-friendly layout, as well as LUCUA-exclusive items including a “Clear Tumbler” and a “Hello Kitty Face Tote Bag.” Sanrio announced that shoppers spending 7,700 yen or more (tax included) would receive an original sticker sheet on a first-come, first-served basis. At the same time, it was announced that a limited-time pop-up called “CAPSULE TOY LAND” would run in an event space from June 30 to July 20 (Anime! Anime! (in Japanese)).
Lab Note: Promoting the second location of an existing character shop concept as its “western Japan debut” creates a reason to visit not only for existing fans in Kansai, but also for new customers. Running a permanent store and a limited-time pop-up in the same venue captures both the steady foot traffic of a permanent shop and the buzz of a limited-time event. Stacking multiple reasons to visit within a single location is an approach that other commercial facilities can easily adapt.
A Week When Telecom and Co-ops Moved Visitors Through Experiential Events
NTT Docomo — “Baku-More Ten” Wins the Japan Event Grand Prize for Social Media Privacy Awareness
On June 16, the Japan Association for the Promotion of Event Industry (JACE) held the awards ceremony for the 12th JACE Event Awards. Out of 174 total entries, the photo exhibition event “Baku-More Ten,” hosted by NTT Docomo, was selected for the Grand Prize / Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award (Japan Event Grand Prize). The event was recognized for combining two Japanese words played off each other—moreru (taking a flattering, enhanced photo) and moreru (leaking personal information)—to convey the risks of information leaks on social media through fun and surprise. Mami Fukuoka of NTT Docomo explained that “raising awareness around safety and security is an important responsibility.” Using the event as a springboard, the company also expanded its efforts into distributing a simulation-style game and developing educational materials (AdverTimes. (in Japanese)).
Meanwhile, the Event Professional Award went to the “Tokyo Metro Escape Game,” a transit-wide puzzle-solving rally across all Tokyo Metro lines based on the film The Exit 8. Participation had reached nearly 100,000 people.
Lab Note: The core of Docomo’s concept is close to wordplay, pairing moreru (looking great in photos) with moreru (leaking data). With that idea, Docomo turned a stiff public-awareness theme into the hands-on experience of a photo exhibition. Whether a social-issue campaign ends as obligatory public relations material or becomes something people actively want to join makes all the difference in how it is received. Translating a company’s core message into fun first is an approach that can be applied to awareness initiatives across any industry.
Japanese Consumers’ Co-operative Union — “Kissa Co-op” Marks 75th Anniversary by Building Touchpoints with Younger Generations
As one of its 75th-anniversary initiatives, the Japanese Consumers’ Co-operative Union (JCCU) held a commemorative event called “Kissa Co-op” (Co-op Coffeehouse). The event ran from April 24 to April 26 at Inaribashi Plaza in front of Shibuya Stream in Tokyo. Targeting people in their 20s and 30s, it sought to expand opportunities for non-members as well as current co-op members to experience the co-op and its private-brand “CO・OP” products. Built around a traditional coffeehouse (kissaten) theme, the venue offered tastings of the long-selling beverage “CO・OP Mix Carrot” alongside retro coffeehouse-style photo spots. Product purchase intent was reported to have risen to 93% through the event (AdverTimes. (in Japanese)).
Lab Note: Consumer co-ops are a business format that already enjoys strong trust, yet has few touchpoints with younger generations. Here, the organization borrowed the experiential format of a retro coffeehouse to build that connection. Rather than pitching products right away, the sequence of getting people to visit the space first and having them try the product through the low hurdle of a free tasting proved effective. The more an industry possesses trust as an asset while lacking awareness touchpoints, the more effective it is to work backward from an experience.
A Week When Finance and Watchmakers Turned Characters into Long-Term Touchpoints
Epos Card × Natsume’s Book of Friends — Card Spending Supports Disaster Recovery in Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto
On June 12, Epos Card began accepting applications for the “Natsume’s Book of Friends Epos Card,” a collaboration credit card with the anime Natsume’s Book of Friends (Natsume Yujin-cho). Two card designs were introduced, including “Nyanko-sensei and Hanatebako,” featuring a newly drawn illustration of Nyanko-sensei alongside a hanatebako (a traditional painted wooden box toy from Kumamoto Prefecture). With the “Nyanko-sensei and Hanatebako” design, an amount equivalent to 0.1% of card spending—drawn from the Epos Points awarded based on purchase amounts—was directed as support funds to Hitoyoshi City in Kumamoto Prefecture, which served as a real-life model location for Natsume’s Book of Friends. Those funds were designated for recovery support following the July 2020 heavy rain disaster and for environmental conservation. New cardholders who spent a cumulative 100,000 yen or more within three months of joining received a not-for-sale pouch, and a commemorative POP UP SHOP was also announced to tour five stores, including Yurakucho Marui (Anime! Anime! (in Japanese)).
Lab Note: Epos Card built ongoing support for an anime pilgrimage site directly into a financial product designed for long-term use. Unlike a one-time merchandise purchase, this gives fans a reason to keep using the card. Embedding an IP collaboration into everyday recurring use—rather than letting it end as a transient campaign—is an idea that can also be applied to loyalty programs in other industries.
Seiko × Fullmetal Alchemist — Targeting Long-Term Customers with a 60,000-Yen Collaboration Watch
Seiko released a collaboration watch with Fullmetal Alchemist (Hagane no Renkinjutsushi), the “Seiko Collaboration Watch Edward Elric Model,” with pre-orders accepted through the online store AMNIBUS. Priced at 65,780 yen (tax included), the watch features the red transmutation circle symbolizing protagonist Edward Elric on its dial, while the case back reproduces the inscription engraved inside the silver pocket watch carried by State Alchemists in the series. It comes with 10-bar water resistance and a three-year manufacturer’s warranty. The original manga began serialization in 2001, and related projects marking the 20th anniversary of its serialization had been rolling out on an ongoing basis (Cho! Animedia (in Japanese)).
Lab Note: A price point in the 60,000-yen range places this item in the realm of accessories and jewelry rather than standard character goods. By reproducing in-universe details right down to the case back and the color of the hands, Seiko created a compelling reason to buy even at a high price point. Holding both low-priced goods for casual fans and high-priced collaborations for core fans allows IP holders to broaden their revenue range.
A Week When Beverage and Confectionery Makers Created Reasons to Visit Through Anniversaries and Customization
Suntory × Pokémon — Turning Six Popular Beverages into 18 “Evolution Bottle” Designs
Starting in mid-June, Suntory released original-package “Pokémon Evolution Bottles” as the second phase of its tie-up celebrating the 30th anniversary of Pokémon (Pocket Monsters). Across six beverages from four popular drink brands, Suntory rolled out a total of 18 designs inspired by Pokémon “Evolution.” For “C.C. Lemon,” the Electric-type evolutionary line of Pichu, Pikachu, and Raichu was chosen to match the brand’s signature yellow color and fizzy carbonation. Meanwhile, drinks such as “Pepsi
Lab Note: This approach turns existing flagship beverages into collaboration products entirely through packaging design. Without needing to develop a new drink formula, the company can generate buzz while keeping inventory risk low. Linking a brand’s signature color or product traits to a character’s elemental attributes is an idea that can be adapted beyond beverages to any product that can be expressed through color or texture.
Three NEXCO Companies × Pokémon — Stamp Rally Across 234 Highway Service Areas Nationwide
NEXCO East, NEXCO Central, and NEXCO West announced the Pokémon 30th-anniversary campaign “Travel and Meet! Pokémon Service Area Journey” (Megutte Deaou! Pokémon Service Area no Tabi), scheduled to run from July 1 to September 30 across 234 highway service areas and parking areas nationwide. In addition to an original stamp rally, the campaign rolled out photo panels at 54 locations and merchandise sales including acrylic stands at 142 locations and acrylic keychains at 170 locations. Stamp rally entrants could enter a drawing for Prize A (1,000 winners), Prize B (1,000 winners), and a Special Prize (250 winners) (GAME Watch (in Japanese)).
Lab Note: Having 234 participating facilities turns every single one of those locations into a road-trip destination. Even if the investment per location is modest, rolling out an initiative across a wide network creates reasons to stop all across the country. This is a prime example showing how companies with existing physical infrastructure can partner with an anniversary IP to turn their location network itself into an advertising medium.
Baskin-Robbins × Dragon Quest — Mid-Campaign Bonus Keeps Customers Coming Back
B-R 31 Ice Cream (Baskin-Robbins Japan) was running a Dragon Quest collaboration campaign from June 1 to June 30, and announced an additional limited-time promotion within it from June 15 to June 21. For each eligible product purchased during that window, customers received a limited-quantity “Writable Clear File” folder as a gift—a document folder with a pencil-writable memo surface modeled after the “Adventure Log” (Boken no Sho) save books from the games (Otakuma Keizai Shimbun (in Japanese)).
Lab Note: This campaign was deliberately designed to insert an additional promotion right in the middle of a month-long run. By introducing a fresh novelty bonus just as the initial launch buzz begins to settle, it prevents customer visits from ending after a single trip. The longer a campaign runs, the more small mid-campaign additions like this influence visit frequency.
Lotte — A Shop Where You Can Customize “Yukimi Daifuku” in 648 Ways
On June 17, Lotte opened a limited-time physical store in Nakameguro, Tokyo, where customers could customize its long-selling “Yukimi Daifuku” ice cream treats to their liking. Operating strictly by reservation through September 23, the shop offered 648 possible combinations by pairing 8 ice cream flavors, 9 toppings, and 9 finishing touches, with prices starting at 900 yen (tax included) for a set of two. Using gyuhi (soft pounded rice cake wrapper) specially developed for the store to be thicker and softer than usual, staff wrapped each piece by hand right in front of customers. First released in 1981, Yukimi Daifuku still boasted the second-highest sales among Lotte’s ice cream brands at the time, yet demand among teens and people in their 20s had been stagnating. Building on the track record of a 2016 physical pop-up in Omotesando that drew four-hour waits, Lotte chose Nakameguro for this edition (AdverTimes. (in Japanese)).
Lab Note: The challenge with a long-selling product is that people already know it so well there is nothing new to say about it. Lotte turned the product into a participatory customization experience, giving customers their own personal combinations to talk about. For classic products facing stagnant demand among younger consumers, this case shows that changing the design of the experience can be more effective than tweaking the flavor or product quality.
Regional & Store Expansion
- Kinnikuman STATION: First Kansai event at Kyoto Station with a fan for purchases of 3,000 yen or more and handshake-session tickets for purchasers on a first-come, first-served basis
- THE★JOJO WORLD: Free store admission paired with paid mini-games and new goods for its 1st anniversary
- sanrio house: First western Japan store paired with a limited-time CAPSULE TOY LAND pop-up in the same building
Youth & Public Engagement
- NTT Docomo: Turned social media privacy awareness into the award-winning Baku-More Ten photo exhibition
- JCCU (Kissa Co-op): Used a retro coffeehouse format and free tastings in Shibuya to reach people in their 20s and 30s
- Lotte (Yukimi Daifuku): Countered flat youth demand by offering 648 hand-wrapped combinations by reservation
Recurring & Nationwide Touchpoints
- Epos Card × Natsume: Directed 0.1% of card spending toward recovery in Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto
- Suntory & NEXCO × Pokémon: 18 Evolution Bottle designs and a 234-stop highway stamp rally for the 30th anniversary
- Baskin-Robbins × Dragon Quest: Added a mid-campaign Adventure Log clear file bonus from June 15 to 21
Source: The Oshi Lab's summary of the article
A Week When Apparel and Retailers Expanded Goods Across Stores and Online
GU × Puppet Sunsun — Preparing Additional Pre-Orders in Anticipation of Sellouts
GU announced that it would hold an additional pre-order sale for its collaboration collection with “Puppet Sunsun,” which launched on June 19. Anticipating sellouts due to strong demand, GU accepted limited-quantity pre-orders on its online store through June 25. Centered on the theme “Sunsun and Friends with Ice Cream,” the lineup featured 15 items in total, led by women’s graphic T-shirts priced at 1,490 yen each (tax included) (Inside (in Japanese)).
Lab Note: Announcing post-sellout additional pre-orders before a collection even goes on sale is unusual. By taking action before stockouts occur, GU prevents lost sales opportunities while using the anticipation of high demand itself as pre-launch publicity. The more popular a collaboration is expected to be, the more effective it is to prepare post-launch contingencies from day one rather than scrambling after the fact.
Shimamura × Pokémon — Delivering Nationwide Through Online-Only Pre-Orders
Shimamura announced that it would begin accepting pre-orders for Pokémon collaboration goods on its official online store starting at 3:00 PM on June 17. The eight-item lineup included traditional Japanese-patterned Aladdin pants featuring Pikachu and Gengar, as well as bedding items such as pillows, pillowcases, and mattress pads. Shipping was scheduled for late July through mid-August, except for the pants, which were scheduled for early through late July (Inside (in Japanese)).
Lab Note: By holding no physical store inventory and making the collection online-only by pre-order, Shimamura can deliver products nationwide regardless of whether a customer lives near a store. The more unevenly a retail chain’s physical stores are distributed across regional areas, the more an online-exclusive collaboration serves as a fair way to meet fan demand.
Don Quijote × Hanshin Tigers — Kansai-Exclusive Cheering Towels
Don Quijote stores in the Kansai region announced a limited release of collaboration cheering towels with the Hanshin Tigers professional baseball team starting June 30. The designs were created by a specialist writer of “Donki Moji,” the hand-lettered POP display lettering used inside Don Quijote stores. The lineup consists of 13 face towel designs in total (approximately 34 × 80 cm), featuring manager Fujikawa and 12 players, priced at 2,200 yen each (tax included) (Inside (in Japanese)).
Lab Note: What stands out here is how Don Quijote adapted its own in-store culture—hand-lettered POP signage—directly into the design language of the merchandise. By commercializing an expression only it can produce rather than hiring an outside designer, the retailer achieves differentiation that other chains cannot imitate.
A Week When Companies Decided to Form a New Joint Venture in the VTuber Business
Mujuryoku × Kotobukiya — Entering the VTuber Business with Joint Venture “VEID”
Mujuryoku Co., Ltd. and Kotobukiya Co., Ltd. announced the establishment of a joint venture called “VEID Co., Ltd.” Its business scope encompasses planning, production, distribution, and management of video content including virtual talents (such as VTubers), with both companies aiming to build an integrated business operation structure extending all the way to merchandise commercialization. Mujuryoku is an XR (extended reality) company that has developed “V Diver,” a system combining motion-capture technology and AI control to blend VR characters into real-world spaces. Kotobukiya, alongside its figure business, has continuously sold avatars for VRChat since 2020 (Mogura VR (in Japanese)).
Lab Note: Mujuryoku, which holds the technology to create experiences, and Kotobukiya, which holds the capability to build IP, teamed up in a joint venture. Neither company alone could have handled VTubers as a product from initial planning all the way through to physical commercialization under one roof. Supplementing missing steps in a value chain through a joint venture rather than an acquisition offers a useful blueprint for business structures across the broader IP industry, not just VTuber operations.
Lawson Entertainment × hololive — Merchandise for 61 Talents Plus In-Store Prints
Lawson Entertainment accepted pre-orders for limited merchandise from the live event “hololive 7th fes. Ridin’ on Dreams,” which was held in March 2026. Pre-orders ran through June 15 via @Loppi terminals and HMV&BOOKS online, featuring costume charms and acrylic smartphone stands (priced at 1,980 yen and 2,750 yen respectively) for a total of 61 talents. In addition, original L-size bromide photo prints (300 yen each) were sold from May 19 to July 27 through “Lawson Print,” the multi-copy machine service inside Lawson convenience stores (Inside (in Japanese)).
Lab Note: By combining advance merchandise pre-orders with convenience-store copier print sales, this single initiative caters to two different types of fans at once: dedicated fans who want to pre-order commemorative items in advance, and fans who want to casually pick something up at a local store. Rather than narrowing merchandise sales to a single channel, offering multiple ways to buy tailored to different levels of fan enthusiasm is a design that works well beyond concert goods.
This Week’s Takeaways
This week was a week when “anniversaries” became triggers for creating new experiences.
We saw THE★JOJO WORLD announce plans for its first anniversary, alongside simultaneous rollouts by Suntory and the NEXCO highway operators timed to the 30th anniversary of Pokémon. In each case, an already well-known IP or brand used the milestone of an anniversary to build a fresh experience. Kinnikuman STATION took a similar approach using the angle of its first store in Kansai, and Lotte’s Yukimi Daifuku followed the same pattern: Lotte transformed a long-selling product first released in 1981 into a participatory customization experience to win back flagging interest among younger consumers.
At the same time, we saw moves to rebuild the underlying business structure itself, as with the establishment of the VEID joint venture. A partnership where separate companies bring together the technology to create experiences and the capability to build IP looked poised to become a recurring model in the VTuber business going forward. Being well-known is not the same thing as having nothing new to offer.
How can your company turn its own anniversaries or milestones into hands-on experiences? Take a look at this week’s developments alongside our guides to Oshikatsu Marketing Design Principles and Fan Business Fundamentals.
Weekly Oshikatsu News brings you a weekly roundup of oshikatsu and fan business developments. Browse past issues in our Oshikatsu × News category.
