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]
More from Anime News Network
Immigration officials raid cosplay event in Malaysia, arrest four foreign cosplayers
Mexico wins World Cosplay Summit 2015 championship 【Videos】
The best Japanese cosplayers from Ikebukuro Halloween Cosplay Fest 2019【Photos】
The perfect gift for your cosplaying foodie friends – an anime recipe cookbook
Family: Utah man was cosplaying Samurai Champloo when shot, killed by police
Nike x One Piece collection brings Devil Fruits to sneakers and streetwear in Japan
Nephew of Studio Ghibli director Hayao Miyazaki serves up Totoro Shaved Ice in Tokyo
Nagoya’s famous Shinkansen platform noodle shop has other, better branches nearby
Winnie the Pooh cosplays as Yuzuru Hanyu for new plushie collaboration
Japan’s double-decker portable rice cooker/bento maker is better than ever with new version
Osaka Starbucks has one of the city’s coolest photo vantage points, but it’s going away soon
We recommend not buying one pack of Japan’s new convenience store corn soup-flavor fried chicken
Narita Airport Transit & Stay Program returns after six years with free tours and festival experiences
Data suggests increased bear sightings have led to a decrease in mountain climbers across Japan
Ohaw? Ruibe? Pocche? While traveling in Japan’s north, we try Ainu cuisine for the first time
7-year-old boy left behind on Mt. Fuji by his own dad
Sushi Bus: Japan’s first conveyor-belt bus lets you eat sushi while sightseeing around Tokyo
12-year-old British girl who went missing in Tokyo found safe after visiting anime sites around Yokohama
Studio Ghibli unveils new interactive stationery dioramas that bring anime movies to life on your desk
Studio Ghibli composer Jo Hisaishi just set three Guinness Records
Anime fans can now wear a Seiko watch inspired by Japan’s One Piece Shinkansen
7-Eleven Japan brings back best-selling flat croissant that became a hit on social media
Foreign hiker on Mt. Fuji loses consciousness and dies, becoming climbing season’s second fatality
Universal Studios Japan partners with manga horror master Junji Ito’s Tomie
Japanese workers reveal their top five mysterious rules they wish would disappear【Survey】
Air-conditioned dress shirts arrive in Japan to save working professionals from sweltering heat
Pokémon Center Online designates first Pokémon items that will require Japanese ID card to buy
Japanese toilet aims to attract foreign tourists but not everybody is happy about it
Tokyo’s newest viral dessert is like a Japanese parfait inside a bread bun [Taste test]
New Japanese vending machine at Shinkansen station sells cups of ice on platform
Study finds hundreds of people in Indonesia legally named after Naruto, Inuyasha, other anime stars
Japanese vending machine sells freshly squeezed lemon juice with a futuristic light show
Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Studio Ghibli has a new anime out, and there’s only one place in the world where you can see it
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
Japanese ninja certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroad
Salomon releases Japan-exclusive Mt. Fuji hiking gear that doubles as an amazing souvenir
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
Dark Souls cosplay photo wins prize worth 100,000 yen
The beautiful official cosplayers of Summer Comiket 2025【Photos】
Comiket 90: Japanese cosplayers bring the heat to opening day of summer event
The Japanese cosplayers and booth ladies from the Anime Japan 2019 convention in Tokyo 【Photos】
Immigration raid at anime convention ends with five Japanese cosplayers being arrested overseas
Luigi’s ‘death stare’ makes it into Japanese Mario Kart 8 commercial