This oshi travel extra isn’t free, but that might be part of the point.

One of the biggest changes in modern otaku-ism is how much more travel is involved. Anime and idol music used to be largely solitary, stay-at-home hobbies, but now you can easily fill your calendar with concerts, art exhibitions, meet-and-greets, and other fun fan events to travel to all across Japan.

And if more otaku are traveling more often, Japanese hotel chain Toyoko Inn wants to make sure not only that they have a comfortable stay, but that their plushies do too.

This month, Toyoko Inn has begun rolling out a new service called “Supporting Your Oshi Activities! Overnight with Plushie Plan.” Oshi here refers to a fan’s favorite character or performer, and if you’ve got an oshi, odds are you’ve got a plushie, figure, acrylic mini standee, or some other piece of merch that bears their likeness as well, and so Toyoko Inn will lay out pajamas and make up a sleeping space for them. For authenticity, the pillow, pajamas, and bedsheets are all made from the same fabrics as Toyoko Inn uses for its human guests, and the pajamas are even available in two sizes, small and medium, to provide a better fit for your plushie.

The program was first tested out at the Toyoko Inn near Osaka Dome, which hosts a number of anime and idol-related events. Following extremely positive feedback from satisfied otaku travelers, the chain has now decided to expand the service to 55 other locations. Considering that there’s a trend of solo travelers in Japan taking a plushie with them to snap photos of during their trips, there’s potential for Toyoko Inn’s new service even in destinations without major otaku event venues nearby.

Toyoko Inn charges a fee of 300 yen (US$2) per night for the Supporting Your Oshi Activities! Overnight with Plushie Plan. It might seem surprising that it’s not a free service, especially since the modest price isn’t going to translate into a significant stream of revenue for the chain, but there could be some clever logic at play here. Among the positive reactions the program received during its test stay were comments about how it made guests feel like their plushie was really taking part in the trip with them, and charging an additional fee for the extra service, just like the hotel would for a second human guest in the room, probably adds a bit of fun realism to the unique bit of hospitality, and the cost is small enough that it’s not likely to wreck anyone’s travel budget.

The service is now being offered in Tokyo at Toyoko Inn’s Nihonbashi Hamacho Meijiza-mae and Chofu Keio-sen Fuda-eki hotels, and the complete list of locations currently offering it can be found on the Toyoko Inn website here.

Source: PR Times via Nijimen
Images: PR Times
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