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Tokyo Otaku Mode Announces Participation in the ‘Come to Japan’ Campaign Featuring Kizuna AI, the World’s First Virtual YouTuber

Tokyo Otaku Mode Announces Participation in the ‘Come to Japan’ Campaign Featuring Kizuna AI, the World’s First Virtual YouTuber

Tokyo Otaku Mode Inc. (incorporated in Delaware, U.S.; representative: Tomohide Kamei; CEO: Naomitsu Kodaka; herein referred to as TOM) is participating in the ‘Come to Japan’ Campaign. The campaign has been launched by the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) New York office and is designed for American travelers.

The campaign is part of the promotion of digital marketing and ‘Cool Japan’, the Japanese government’s strategy to cultivate and promote Japanese culture in other countries. It features Kizuna AI, the (self-proclaimed) world’s first virtual YouTuber shown above, as its ambassador. Through social media platforms, including YouTube and Instagram, the campaign engages Americans and encourages them to consider Japanese travel.

The campaign was launched on March 1 and will be held until March 25, 2018. A ‘Come to Japan’ campaign website has also been launched. Four campaign components, including an online quiz, a Kizuna AI Come to Japan Sweepstakes, an Instagram campaign, and a lottery held in collaboration with Japan Week (to be held in New York from March 14 – 17), are also planned. Users who obtain a high score on the online quiz can enter the sweepstakes that offers a pair of round-trip plane tickets to Japan as its grand prize. Kizuna AI prize packages and alpaca plushies are also available to other sweepstake winners. Campaign details, as well as rules and regulations, can be found through the ‘Come to Japan’ website and on social media.

JNTO New York Executive Director, Mr. Ken Iwata, stated, “In the United States, digital marketing is an effective way to engage potential travelers, particularly millennials, who are showing a great deal of interest in Japan. This is why we chose a campaign that uses anime, a ‘Cool Japan’ content to engage Americans, particularly the millennial generation. Anime has attracted more than 20 million users to American video streaming platforms like Crunchyroll, so we believe it can help us reach a broad audience in a new and exciting way, while also showcasing Japan’s innovative nature.”

Who is Kizuna AI?

Kizuna AI is the (self-proclaimed) world’s first virtual YouTuber from Japan who started her channel on December 1, 2016. Using a comical and casual virtual space, she sings, dances, and engages the audience. In the blink of an eye, she gained great popularity in Japan and her main channel, A.I.Channel, reached 1.5 million subscribers in her first year. Her video game subchannel A.I.Games has 600,000 subscribers.

Four Campaign Components to Promote Tourism

  1. Videos and Articles About the Charms of Japan Presented by Kizuna AI

The ‘Come to Japan’ campaign website features travel videos and articles about Japan. In each video, Kizuna AI examines intriguing parts of Japanese culture, food, technology, and more. She explores Japan with viewers and helps them prepare for the online quiz required for the campaign sweepstakes. Other topics, including fashion, traditional crafts, etiquette, sports, nature, history, and lifestyle, are also covered.

  1. ‘Come to Japan’ Quiz for a Chance to Win a Trip to Japan

The ‘Come to Japan’ campaign website is hosting a ‘Charms of Japan’ quiz, which features twenty questions related to the topics covered in the videos and articles. Users who obtain a high score above a predetermined threshold will be eligible for the campaign sweepstakes, and one winner will receive a pair of round-trip tickets to Japan. Kizuna AI prize packages and alpaca plushies are also available as second and third prizes.

  1. Instagram Campaign to See and Share Photos of Trips to Japan

Travelers who have already visited Japan can use the special hashtag (#japantripsenpai) on Instagram to have their photos of Japan automatically uploaded onto the ‘Come to Japan’ campaign website.

  1. Kizuna AI Booth and Lottery at New York’s Japan Week Event

A Kizuna AI booth will be set up at Japan Week 2018, an event organized by the JNTO New York Office that will take place at Vanderbilt Hall in the New York Grand Central Station from March 14 – 17. A lottery will be held at the booth, where participants can win a pair of round-trip plane tickets to Japan. Lottery details will be announced in an upcoming press release.

About Tokyo Otaku Mode

Tokyo Otaku Mode Inc. (TOM) shares the latest news about anime, manga, events, merchandise, and other parts of Japanese pop culture with fans around the world through its Facebook page, which has 20 million likes as of March 2018. TOM also works directly with manufacturers to provide an authentic and curated selection of merchandise to fans worldwide through its e-commerce site, the Tokyo Otaku Mode Shop. Furthermore, TOM works with independent creators within and outside of Japan to design and distribute original merchandise. To date, orders have been delivered to customers in over 130 countries and regions worldwide.

Also, TOM participated in Japanese tourism campaigns organized by the governmental Japan Tourism Agency in 2013 and 2014 and implemented various promotions.

TOM continues to advance its mission of “bringing happiness to the world with otaku culture” by enriching the lives of Japanese pop culture fans around the world, and also by adding new value to the global entertainment markets.

About the Kizuna AI Come to Japan Sweepstakes

No Purchase Necessary. Open only to legal residents of the U.S. who are at least the legal age of majority in the jurisdiction of their residence at the time of entry. Begins on March 1, 2018 and ends on March 25, 2018. Visit http://us.jnto.go.jp/cometojapan/entry.php for official rules and complete details.

About the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO)

Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), an independent agency of the Japanese government, promotes Japan as a leisure and business destination to further exchanges between Japan and the world. JNTO disseminates information, conducts publicity and exhibitions, develops tours, carries out research and much more, utilizing its international network of 20 offices.   http://us.jnto.go.jp/