"Supporting Activities" Connecting Fans and Communities: Visiting Pilgrimage Sites and Places Associated with "Oshi"

Table of Contents

1. What is "Oshikatsu" × Pilgrimage to Sacred Places?

2. Statistics on the Global Spread of "OSHIKATSU" Culture

3. The Mechanism by Which Regions Shine as "Story Settings"

4. Major Case Studies
   4-1 Numazu City × Love Live! Sunshine!!
   4-2 Hida City × Your Name / Jujutsu Kaisen
   4-3 Yamanashi & Shizuoka × Laid-Back Camp△
   4-4 Kamakura & Enoden × SLAM DUNK
   4-5 Kumamoto & Aso × Demon Slayer

5. Seven Strategies for Successful Regional Revitalization

6. Challenges: Over-tourism, Manners, and Sustainability

7. Future Prospects: Digital Passes, AR/XR, Web3 Integration

8. Practical Guide for Foreign Fans

9. Conclusion

1. What is "Oshikatsu" × Pilgrimage to Sacred Places?

"Oshikatsu" refers to the general act of supporting a specific work, character, idol, etc., known as "oshi." While attending live events and purchasing merchandise are representative examples, recently, visiting places associated with one's "oshi" has gained particular attention as a form of pilgrimage to sacred places. The experience of feeling the world of the work firsthand is also called "immersive consumption," which operates on a different principle from traditional tourism, creating repeat visitors.badge-man.net

2. Statistics on the Global Spread of "OSHIKATSU" Culture

• 8.1% of foreign visitors to Japan visit sacred places (2024, Japan Tourism Agency Inbound Consumption Trend Survey)Japan Wire by KYODO NEWS

• The "Oshikatsu" market size is approximately 3 trillion yen, with an estimated related consumption of 3.5 trillion yen annuallyPress Release & News Release Distribution Share No.1 | PR TIMESGMO NIKKO Inc. |

• The percentage of those who have experienced pilgrimage to sacred places has doubled from 7.4% in 2013 to 14.8% in 2024, with significant growth among women in their 20s.Kodansha C-Station
  
  

These data support the notion that "Oshikatsu" has permeated not only among the younger generation but also across multiple generations and nationalities, having an immeasurable impact on regional economies.

3. The Mechanism by Which Regions Shine as "Story Settings"

1. High-Value Consumption through Emotional Engagement

2. SNS Dissemination → UGC (User-Generated Content) Effect

3. Long-Tail Visitor Attraction: Visits continue beyond the lifecycle of the work

4. Strengthening of Regional Brands: Collaborations with local products grow into "oshi souvenirs"

5. Collaboration between Residents and Fans: Volunteer guides and stamp rally operations
   
   

These are maximized through the collaboration of multiple entities such as government, shopping streets, railway companies, and fan organizations.MDPI

4. Major Case Studies

4-1 Numazu City × Love Live! Sunshine!!

Since the anime aired in 2016, the number of annual visitors has increased by 1.4 times compared to before the broadcast. The city features "sacred place maps" with English and Chinese annotations, Aqours-wrapped buses, and a stamp rally that attracted a total of 900,000 participants (announced by the City Tourism Strategy Division in May 2025).

4-2 Hida City × Your Name / Jujutsu Kaisen

After the movie release, the number of foreign passengers at JR Takayama Station increased by 60% compared to 2015. Local shops developed "Sarubobo × Mitsuha" collaboration products, and merchandise sales increased by 1.8 times year-on-year.Diamond Online

4-3 Yamanashi & Shizuoka × Laid-Back Camp△

In Oigawa Railway and Kawanehon Town, the "camping × railway" experience became a hit. The foreign language audio guides and Wi-Fi infrastructure were well-received, maintaining an average TripAdvisor review rating of 4.7★.sanpoyosi-diet’s blog

4-4 Kamakura & Enoden × SLAM DUNK

The "famous crossing" sees 200 people waiting to take photos even on weekdays. Enoden increased security personnel to ensure safety and installed multilingual etiquette signs on the roadside.Shonan-jinAmeba Blog (Ameblo)

4-5 Kumamoto & Aso × Demon Slayer

In the 2024 collaboration campaign, international flight users at Aso Kumamoto Airport increased by 32% compared to before the campaign, significantly contributing to the tourism recovery of the earthquake-affected area.

5. Seven Strategies for Successful Regional Revitalization

1. Obtaining Official Licenses and Formulating Guidelines

2. Multilingual Signs and Cashless Environment Development

3. Location × Local Product Collaborations (Sake, Sweets, Crafts)

4. Promoting Circulation with Stamp Rallies and Digital Passes

5. Fan-Participatory Events (Clean-up Activities, Co-hosting Local Festivals)

6. Minimizing Friction through Resident Briefings and Education

7. Disaster Prevention and Safety Planning (Evacuation Routes, Congestion Mitigation Measures)

6. Challenges: Over-tourism, Manners, and Sustainability

In Kamakura and Hida, traffic congestion due to people waiting to take photos and congestion on residential roads have become issues. In March 2025, the Japan Tourism Agency announced a new guideline draft for pilgrimage to sacred places, considering the introduction of multilingual etiquette awareness and entry restrictions (time slot system).Inbound Lab

7. Future Prospects: Digital Passes, AR/XR, Web3 Integration

• NFT Stamp Rally: Used as regional currency in secondary markets

• AR Glasses: Live action where characters appear on site

• Metaverse + Real Interaction: Virtual pilgrimage experiences for remote fans

• Technological innovations such as multilingual guide bots powered by generative AI continue to expand fan experiences.space-j.com

8. Practical Guide for Foreign Fans

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