Japanese city Matsudo, located in Chiba prefecture, is encouraging cosplayers to visit on the weekends, billing its Yabashira district as a cosplay-friendly environment.
The city decided to launch a promotional campaign, noticing that cosplayers have been congregating at nearby 21 Seiki no Mori to Hiroba Park for photoshoots for several years. Together with the Yabashira Ekimae Chuo-Shotenkai shop owners association, which spearheaded the promotional efforts, the city has been posting posters of two girls, one in fantasy garb, with the phrase, “On weekends, I transform myself.” Incidentally, the girl on the left is wearing an outfit modeled after the actual Matsudo High School uniform.
コスプレに優しい街八柱。新京成電鉄・八柱駅（JR武蔵野線・新八柱駅）前中央商店会のポスターが掲示されてた。イラストは七六さん。 #千葉 #松戸 #新京成 #マッドシティ pic.twitter.com/l4ggWuaGnA
— 咲村珠樹 (Tamaki SAKIMURA) (@SabreF86) September 28, 2014
The support for cosplayers is not new; last November, the association turned a vacant storefront into a photo studio that caters specially to cosplayers.
Just over the weekend, the association also held a special event, shuttingdown streets to motor traffic and allowing cosplayers and other visitors to meander amongst the businesses around the Yabashira Station shoppingdistrict. A special cosplay booth also stocked costumes for young children, allowing them to get into the cosplay spirit.
[Source: Asahi Shimbum]
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