Chiikawa Expands; Calbee Licensed Goods Output Up 80% | Weekly Oshi News (Apr 25, 2025)
Here is our roundup of notable corporate oshikatsu (fan-support activities) marketing and fan-business news from the week of April 18 to April 24, 2025.
This Week’s Highlights
This week, companies intentionally designed their own touchpoints with fans.
On April 17, snack maker Calbee announced “Callet” (Karuretto), an intellectual property (IP) management platform powered by blockchain technology. The quantity of Calbee’s licensed products manufactured grew by roughly 80% between fiscal 2023 (April 2023–March 2024) and fiscal 2024 (April 2024–March 2025), and the company was aiming for 5 billion yen in future revenue from secondary IP use. This represents a deliberate push to design fan touchpoints beyond simply eating its snacks.
In the character business, brands also moved to expand their touchpoints through permanent brick-and-mortar locations. “Chiikawa Land Shinjuku Store” opened on April 25, alongside the announcement that “Chiikawa Park,” the franchise’s first large-scale experiential facility, would open in Tokyo. Meanwhile, udon restaurant chain Marugame Seimen appointed idols Kaito Takahashi and Hokuto Matsumura as ambassadors to further expand awareness of its “Marugame Udonuts,” which have surpassed 13 million servings in cumulative sales.
There were notable technological developments as well. At the NTT Pavilion at the Osaka-Kansai Expo, visitors could experience a prerecorded 3D replay of pop unit Perfume’s April 2 performance transmitted using IOWN spatial transmission technology. The stage was measured using more than 20 sensors and cameras, while well over 100 vibrational transducers were embedded into the venue floor to reproduce the physical vibrations of the concert.
- ~80%
- Growth in the quantity of Calbee's licensed products manufactured from fiscal 2023 to fiscal 2024
- 5 billion yen
- Future secondary-use royalty revenue scale targeted by Calbee
- 13M+ servings
- Cumulative sales surpassed by Marugame Udonuts as of March 4, 2025
- 270M+ copies
- Global cumulative circulation of the Detective Conan manga series
Source: The Oshi Lab's summary of the article
Calbee Built a New Revenue Model Through IP Licensing
Calbee — Lowering Management Costs for Derivative Works with “Callet”
On April 17, Calbee held an IP business growth strategy presentation and unveiled “Callet,” the company’s first IP management platform. Using blockchain technology, the system simplifies credit checks for external creators and streamlines licensing operations for derivative works based on Calbee’s IP. Since 2023, Calbee’s new business organization, “Calbee Future Labo,” has been expanding the company’s IP into non-food everyday categories including merchandise, lifestyle goods, games, art, and NFTs. As a result, the quantity of licensed products manufactured increased by roughly 80% between fiscal 2023 (April 2023–March 2024) and fiscal 2024 (April 2024–March 2025). The company was aiming for a future scale of 5 billion yen in royalty revenue from secondary use (AdverTimes. (in Japanese)).
Calbee previously introduced the “Calbee Ruby Program” in 2020 to grow its fanbase through post-consumption touchpoints—engaging customers after they finish eating a product. The goal of this latest strategy is to strengthen touchpoints at the pre-consumption stage and among people who have not yet purchased Calbee snacks.
The Oshi Lab Note: The core value of “Callet” lies in lowering transaction costs with external creators. When a company handles permissions for fan and creator derivative works individually on a case-by-case basis, the administrative burden grows heavier as the number of requests rises. By turning management into a platform, an increase in applications translates directly into increased revenue. For companies that own in-house IP, this case demonstrates that authorized derivative works by fans and creators can be systematized and turned into a revenue stream. This pairs well with our guide on Design Principles of Oshikatsu Marketing.
Companies Continued Borrowing Fan Enthusiasm Through Brand Ambassadors
Dole x JO1’s Keigo Sato — Bringing Fan Passion to Store Aisles Through “Bana-katsu”
On April 18, fruit producer Dole announced the launch of a new promotional campaign titled “Dole Bana-katsu Supporter: Banana Bancho” (Banana Boss), featuring Keigo Sato of the global boy group JO1 (“Bana-katsu” is a playful blend of “banana” and oshikatsu or daily activities). Sato has openly professed his love of bananas and generated buzz in January of this year by releasing his first solo song, “BANANA.” That existing fan conversation sparked the collaboration with Dole. The company was broadcasting the music video on digital signage in supermarkets nationwide and announced that in-store posters would roll out sequentially across Japan starting in late April (AdverTimes. (in Japanese)).
Two special visual designs inspired by the “Dole Sweetio Banana” and “Dole Gokusen Banana” product lines were also produced for the campaign.
The Oshi Lab Note: What matters most here is that the campaign started from the genuine fact that Sato himself loves bananas. Rather than a company simply handing a product to a celebrity to hold, the brand is riding the wave of an affection for bananas that the artist was already expressing on his own. Whether a brand can spot an individual preference that is already a talking point among fans—and connect its product naturally to that story—often determines the success or failure of an ambassador campaign.
Marugame Seimen x Kaito Takahashi & Hokuto Matsumura — Targeting Younger Consumers with a First-Time Co-Starring Role
On April 10, udon restaurant chain Marugame Seimen, operated by Toridoll Holdings, announced that Kaito Takahashi and Hokuto Matsumura had been appointed as official ambassadors for “Marugame Udonuts” (chewy doughnut holes made from udon dough). A television commercial marking the pair’s first time co-starring together began airing on the same day. Following a three-year development concept period, Marugame Seimen launched sales of Marugame Udonuts in June 2024. Cumulative sales surpassed 13 million servings as of March 4, 2025, and the product reportedly won strong support from Gen Z consumers across numerous surveys in 2024 (AdverTimes. (in Japanese)).
On social media, expressions of surprise and excitement had already been pouring in over the first-time pairing of the two stars.
The Oshi Lab Note: We took particular note of the sequence here: establishing a proven track record of 13 million servings first, and only then appointing high-profile ambassadors. Rather than putting celebrity talent out front before a product has been nurtured, Marugame Seimen brought in ambassadors at the stage of scaling up a product with proven demand. Following this order makes it much easier to estimate the advertising reach needed to justify the cost of casting major talent.
Torikizoku x Tadayoshi Ohkura — Turning a 40th Anniversary into a Story by Casting the Founder’s Son
The yakitori (grilled chicken skewer) restaurant chain Torikizoku celebrates the 40th anniversary of its founding on May 1, 2025. To mark the occasion, the company launched a “first father-and-son co-starring” project featuring Tadayoshi Ohkura—a member of the idol group SUPER EIGHT and the eldest son of Torikizoku founder Tadashi Ohkura. The campaign encompassed multiple initiatives, including serving limited-quantity menu items supervised by Tadayoshi—“Skewer Nuggets Green” (Kushi Nagetto Gurīn) and “Chives and Egg Green” (Niratama Gurīn)—as well as reviving the chain’s very first location, the Shuntoku Store in Higashiosaka City (the birthplace of the company), for a limited time. A special father-and-son talk video was also released, scheduled to stream on the official app starting May 1, followed by short videos on the official TikTok account starting in June (AdverTimes. (in Japanese)).
Founder Tadashi Ohkura commented, “My son, who was born two weeks after I founded the company, was the one who proposed reviving the Shuntoku Store.”
The Oshi Lab Note: Instead of hiring an outside celebrity, Torikizoku cast the founder’s actual son. Because of that real family connection, the anniversary campaign is much more likely to be received as an authentic corporate story rather than a conventional advertisement. Incorporating Tadayoshi’s official group member color (green) directly into the menu items brings fandom customs straight into a corporate history project. For any company planning an anniversary initiative, this case shows the value of looking inside the organization to see if there is already a person with a compelling story to tell.
“Chiikawa” Expanded Its Permanent Bases in Shinjuku and Tokyo
Chiikawa Land Shinjuku Store — One of Kanto’s Largest Flagship Shops Opens
“Chiikawa Land Shinjuku Store,” a permanent retail location offering limited-edition Chiikawa merchandise and special events, opened on April 25. Boasting one of the largest store footprints in the greater Tokyo (Kanto) region, the shop rolled out grand-opening commemorative items such as the “Tokyo Chiikawa Hand Towel.” Since opening its Harajuku and Osaka Umeda locations in August 2021, “Chiikawa Land” has steadily expanded its store network to Fukuoka Parco, Kyoto Shijo Kawaramachi, and First Avenue Tokyo Station (Cho! Animedia (in Japanese)).
The original Chiikawa work is a web manga that illustrator Nagano has been posting on X (formerly Twitter) since 2020. The franchise’s first smartphone app, Chiikawa Pocket, also launched service on March 27.
The Oshi Lab Note: Unlike temporary pop-up shops, a permanent store becomes a place where a brand can maintain continuous contact with fans once built. A notable feature of Chiikawa Land’s rollout is how the store network has expanded right along the everyday living and commuting zones of its fans—from Harajuku, Osaka, Fukuoka, Kyoto, and Tokyo Station to Shinjuku. Designing a geographic footprint that accumulates as a long-term asset rather than ending with one-off events offers a valuable blueprint for other IP holders.
Chiikawa Park — The Franchise’s First Large-Scale Experiential Facility Launches
“Chiikawa Park,” the first large-scale experiential facility dedicated to the hit character franchise Chiikawa, was officially announced to open in Tokyo in 2025. At the time the source report was written, the exact location and other specific details had not yet been disclosed, though a newly established official X account stated it would share updates moving forward. A short promotional video featuring Chiikawa and friends announcing the opening was also released (Inside (in Japanese)).
In contrast to “Chiikawa Land,” which focuses primarily on retail merchandise sales, “Chiikawa Park” represents a new format as a dedicated experiential attraction.
The Oshi Lab Note: Placing an experiential facility right after establishing retail hubs is a highly rational sequence. First, the franchise solidified a clear “reason to buy” through physical merchandise stores, and on top of that foundation, it is now investing in an experiential venue where visitors stay for much longer periods. The key focus going forward will be whether the franchise can monetize the time visitors spend inside the facility itself—capturing value that merchandise sales alone cannot provide.
Apparel and Eyewear Brands Turned Characters into Everyday Wear
gelato pique x Super Mario — Blending into Daily Life with Loungewear
On April 24, loungewear brand gelato pique released its sixth collaborative apparel collection with Super Mario. Featuring Toad (Kinopio) and Yoshi as its main motifs, the new lineup rolled out 17 items in total. Pricing spanned a wide range from roomwear to lifestyle goods, including a jacquard pullover and shorts set for 16,280 yen and a T-shirt for 5,390 yen (all prices tax-included). Limited-edition stickers were also prepared as a bonus gift with purchase (Inside (in Japanese)).
In addition to directly managed stores nationwide and the official online store, the collection was also made available across multiple sister brands within the company’s retail group.
The Oshi Lab Note: The track record of continuing all the way to a sixth installment speaks volumes about the strength of this collaboration. By continuing to release products each season while simply rotating the featured character motifs, the brand builds a habit among buyers of eagerly waiting to see “which character will be next.” Because loungewear is a product category closely tied to daily life at home, it is an area where ongoing, multi-wave collaborations easily deliver strong results.
Zoff x Haikyu!! — First Eyewear Collaboration with Haikyu!!
Eyewear brand Zoff launched an eyewear collection marking its first collaboration with the hit volleyball anime Haikyu!!. Made-to-order pre-orders opened on the official online store on April 23. Starting the same day, six Zoff stores across Japan set up dedicated try-on corners and began selling capsule toys featuring collaboration-exclusive designs. Haikyu!! is a blockbuster series whose manga has surpassed 70 million copies in cumulative circulation (Anime! Anime! (in Japanese)).
Alongside glasses inspired by the series’ characters, the collaboration rolled out across multiple product formats, including the limited capsule toys.
The Oshi Lab Note: Eyeglasses are worn for long hours every day, making them a product that lets fans feel like they are “together with their oshi (favorite character) every single day.” Setting up physical try-on corners in brick-and-mortar stores was also a smart touch to let fans check the fit and comfort in person—something hard to convey through online shopping alone. In IP collaborations, the closer a product category is to an everyday necessity, the more likely it is to drive repeat and long-term purchases.
Restaurant Chains and Health Device Makers Teamed Up with Detective Conan
Tanita x Detective Conan — Turning Health Devices into Character Merchandise
Comprehensive health company Tanita released a lineup of collaborative products with the TV anime Detective Conan (also known as Case Closed). The collection totals 51 items: one “Voice Body Composition Monitor” and 50 different “Pedometers.” Timed to coincide with the theatrical release of the latest film, Detective Conan: One-Eyed Flashback (Meitantei Konan: Sekigan no Furasshubakku), the items were made available for pre-order as made-to-order products on the Tanita Online Shop. The pedometers feature designs of characters such as Kansuke Yamato and Rei Furuya, while the voice body composition monitor plays recorded voice lines from Kaitou Kid and other characters (Anime! Anime! (in Japanese)).
Serialized since 1994, Detective Conan has surpassed 270 million copies in cumulative global manga circulation.
The Oshi Lab Note: Offering an impressive 51 different variations within the health device category immediately catches the eye. Bathroom scales and pedometers are tools that people naturally look at every time they use them. By adorning those devices with character designs and voices, Tanita increases how often fans see and interact with their favorite characters in daily life. When practical everyday tools are paired with IP—provided the product maintains enough utility and subtle design that fans aren’t embarrassed to own and use it—they can become high-unit-price staple merchandise.
Kura Sushi x Detective Conan — A 14th Collaboration That Has Become an Annual Tradition
To celebrate the theatrical release of Detective Conan: One-Eyed Flashback, conveyor-belt sushi chain Kura Sushi launched a limited-time collaboration at restaurants nationwide starting April 18. This marks the 14th collaboration between Kura Sushi and the franchise. Prizes in “Bikkura Pon!”—the table-side game customers can play for every five empty sushi plates they insert—included rubber keychains featuring characters dressed in Edo-town-style outfits. The previous 27th theatrical film in the franchise, Detective Conan: The Million-dollar Pentagram (100-man Doru no Michishirube), had become the first movie in the series to reach 10 million theatergoers (Anime! Anime! (in Japanese)).
Fans had reportedly even been asking “Is this year’s collaboration coming soon?” ahead of the announcement, showing how thoroughly the partnership has taken root as an annual tradition.
The Oshi Lab Note: Reaching a 14th installment shows that this collaboration is no longer just a one-off promotional campaign, but has been built into the calendar as an annual event. Once fans reach a state where they naturally expect the collaboration to happen every year, it generates a strong motive to visit the restaurant even without heavy promotional spending. In the restaurant chain sector, this is a textbook example showing that the stability of ongoing continuity creates more repeat customers than the novelty of a brand-new partnership.
Shrines, Bathhouses, and Arcades Partnered with Game IPs
Touken Ranbu x Isonokami Jingu Shrine — Where Historical Swords and Game Characters Overlap
Isonokami Jingu Shrine in Nara Prefecture announced a special exhibition titled “Isonokami Jingu and Sacred Swords” (Isonokami Jingū to Mitachi) for May 14 to May 20 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the manifestation of the sacred sword Futsunomitama. As part of this special exhibition, the shrine announced a collaboration with the sword-personification game Touken Ranbu ONLINE. Alongside the display of the historical sword Tachi Kogitsunemaru, the shrine planned to install a life-size character standee of “Touken Danshi Kogitsunemaru”—the game character who shares the same Kogitsunemaru legend—and sell collaborative merchandise. Multiple items were announced, including clear file folders for 500 yen and acrylic stands for 1,000 yen (both tax-included) (Inside (in Japanese)).
Three swords forged in 2021 by master swordsmith Norihiro Miyairi were also announced for exhibition alongside the historical blade.
The Oshi Lab Note: Placing a video game character and the real historical sword sharing the exact same name side by side in the same venue is a distinctive approach. Regardless of whether a visitor came to know the game first or historical swords first, presenting both as a set draws in both gaming fans and history enthusiasts. For local governments and cultural facilities looking to build an Anime Pilgrimage (Seichi Junrei) Economic Zone, Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples that can directly exhibit the historical origins of a character make ideal partners.
Gokurakuyu x hololive — Drawing Crowds to Bathhouses with a 6th Collaboration Featuring 1st-Generation Talents
Bathhouse operator Gokurakuyu and GK Marketing ran the “hololive x Gokurakuyu / RAKU SPA 6th Collaboration ‘Furo Life’” (a pun on furo, meaning bath, and hololive) through April 23 across 39 Gokurakuyu and RAKU SPA group locations. The campaign featured newly commissioned illustrations of VTuber agency hololive’s 1st-generation talents—Aki Rosenthal, Akai Haato, Shirakami Fubuki, and Natsuiro Matsuri—dressed in yukata (light cotton robes) and fresh-out-of-the-bath looks. In addition to eight varieties of limited-edition muffler towels, the venues offered character-inspired collaborative food and drink menus and original coasters (Inside (in Japanese)).
Marking the sixth installment in the series, the campaign also included special bathhouse interior decorations and social media promotions on X.
The Oshi Lab Note: Commissioning original artwork specifically tailored to bathhouse situations—characters in yukata and fresh out of the bath—shows careful attention to detail. Instead of recycling generic collaboration illustrations, creating visuals that only make sense in a bathing facility ties the fan’s reason to visit directly to that specific venue. Operating across 39 locations also proves this is not merely a publicity stunt at a single flagship store, but a broad, network-wide customer acquisition strategy.
Taito x Blue Archive — Rolling Out Exclusive Prizes at Arcades
Amusement operator Taito announced a collaborative campaign with the hit smartphone game Blue Archive titled “Arcade Infiltration Quest!” (Gēmu Sentā Sennyū Kuesuto!) starting May 17. The company announced it would roll out crane-game prize items—including cushions, tote bags, and acrylic keychains—at Taito Station arcades and other locations nationwide. Taito also announced a promotion awarding an original clear file folder to customers who insert 600 yen into designated arcade machines, alongside sales of collaborative food and drink items such as a Special Crepe (950 yen) and a Special Drink (800 yen) (GAME Watch (in Japanese)).
Standalone retail merchandise, including acrylic stands and stickers, was also announced for sale alongside the crane prizes.
The Oshi Lab Note: This campaign is designed to bring smartphone game fans back into physical brick-and-mortar arcades. While the prizes are offered both in physical stores and via online crane games, the hands-on experience of winning an item at an arcade cabinet creates a tangible reason to visit a store for smartphone game merchandise, which otherwise tends to be bought entirely online. The more an IP originates in the digital realm, the greater the value of intentionally preparing offline experiences that fans can only get in person.
A Wave of New Services and Technologies Supporting Oshikatsu Emerged
Cheers Vase — A Service for Interacting Directly with VTubers at Restaurants
“Cheers Vase,” a new fan-support service connecting VTubers with restaurants and cafes, officially launched full-scale operations. At Live Cafe Mixa in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, VTuber events were being held every weekend. Visitors could interact with VTubers in real time through live talk sessions, toasts, and cheki (instant-photo style) commemorative snapshots. The service also provided a feature called “Cheers” that lets fans send support and encouragement through a dedicated web app, alongside original collaborative menu items tailored to each participating character (Mogura VR (in Japanese)).
Participation required purchasing tickets in advance through the official web app, with performer lineups announced regularly on the official X account.
The Oshi Lab Note: What is fresh here is expanding interaction with VTubers beyond online livestreams into the physical setting of a restaurant or cafe. By preparing collaborative menu items, the restaurant side becomes an active part of the fan experience rather than merely renting out event space. As a business bridging the virtual and physical worlds, this shows how the food and beverage industry can provide real-world gathering places for VTuber culture.
Holoearth — A Marketplace Where Users Can Buy and Sell Fan-Made Items
On April 24, Cover Corporation, the parent company of the VTuber agency hololive production, released the official Version 1.0.0 launch of its metaverse project “Holoearth.” The official release implemented the “Holoearth Marketplace,” where users can buy and sell original items they have created themselves, along with “Creator Tools” that allow users to design clothing items by applying illustrations to fashion patterns. Cover also announced that an official hololive production shop would open inside the platform on May 14 (Mogura VR (in Japanese)).
The company noted that hololive talents themselves might also visit Holoearth and wear outfits created by users.
The Oshi Lab Note: Giving users the role of “creators” and providing a legitimate path to monetization is a pivotal step. By integrating fan-made creations into an official economic ecosystem, an IP holder can meet diverse fan demands that official merchandise pipelines alone could never fully satisfy. Treating a fan community not only as consumers, but also as the supply side of the ecosystem, is a structural design that can be applied to many other IPs.
IOWN x Perfume — Experiencing a 3D Spatial Transmission Concert at the Expo
At the NTT Pavilion at the Osaka-Kansai Expo, an exhibition allowing visitors to experience a prerecorded 3D replay of a live performance by Perfume was opened to the public. The exhibit utilized spatial transmission technology powered by NTT’s next-generation communications infrastructure, “IOWN.” A live performance held at Expo ‘70 Commemorative Park on April 2 was captured using more than 20 sensors and cameras, while well over 100 vibrational transducers were embedded into the floor of the exhibition venue to reproduce physical vibration data from the stage. The footage showed the three members of Perfume rendered in 3DCG from different camera angles, alternating between real and virtual representations (Mogura VR (in Japanese)).
The visuals used NTT’s proprietary technology, which combines 3D point-cloud data and image data to render high-resolution visuals in real time.
The Oshi Lab Note: The defining feature of this technology is its attempt to transmit a live concert—an experience defined by being a one-time, in-the-moment event—not merely as flat video, but as an entire physical space. Whereas conventional live-viewing broadcasts stop at letting audiences “watch” a show, reproducing the floor vibrations brings fans much closer to the sensation of “actually being there.” When considering what can be delivered to fans who cannot travel for concert tours, this is a technology worth watching as the next frontier beyond simply increasing video resolution.
Expanding Ongoing Touchpoints
- Calbee systematized secondary IP licensing via the 'Callet' blockchain platform
- Chiikawa added its Shinjuku flagship store and announced the experiential 'Chiikawa Park'
- Gokurakuyu mobilized 39 bathhouse locations simultaneously with venue-specific hololive artwork
- Marugame Seimen (13M servings) and Kura Sushi (14th Conan collab) layered new touchpoints onto proven track records
Transforming Touchpoint Quality
- Cheers Vase brought real-time VTuber interaction and collaborative menus into physical cafes
- Holoearth Ver 1.0.0 enabled fans to create, buy, and sell original items in an official marketplace
- NTT's IOWN x Perfume exhibit transmitted 3D space and floor vibrations from over 100 transducers
Source: The Oshi Lab's summary of the article
This Week’s Reflections
This week, companies did not leave fan touchpoints to chance—they designed them with clear intent.
Calbee systematized the secondary use of its IP with “Callet.” Chiikawa announced the opening of “Chiikawa Park” in Tokyo on top of its new permanent retail base in Shinjuku, and Gokurakuyu mobilized 39 bathhouse locations at once with newly commissioned yukata illustrations. Rather than stopping at one-off publicity stunts, every one of these initiatives builds a mechanism that generates ongoing contact with fans. Marugame Seimen’s 13 million Udonuts servings and Kura Sushi’s 14th Detective Conan collaboration likewise layered fresh touchpoints onto well-established track records.
At the same time, bold experiments to create entirely new kinds of fan touchpoints through emerging technologies and physical venues also moved forward. Cheers Vase, Holoearth, and IOWN x Perfume are prime examples. Companies working to increase the quantity of touchpoints and companies working to transform the quality of touchpoints stood side by side in the very same week.
Where and how thoroughly are the touchpoints between your company and its fans designed? Take a look at this week’s developments alongside our guides to the Design Principles of Oshikatsu Marketing and Fan Marketing Basics.
Weekly Oshikatsu News brings you a curated roundup of oshikatsu and business every week. You can browse past issues in our Oshikatsu x News category.
