100+ Nagano Yuru-kyara
お正月の新聞で「長野県のトップ１００ゆるきゃら」の紹介を見つけました。千曲市は屋代商店街のヤシロウが載っていた。この戸倉上山田温泉の「温泉まんじゅサン」はこれからデビュー？
とにかく、ゆるきゃらは最近、広まり過ぎない？どこまでが良いＰＲ化、どこまでが自己満足か、疑問がございます。もっと効果のあるＰＲ活動・町興し運動があるのではないかと思いますが。長野県だけで１００＋？全国で何万個があるでしょう。
この間、県観光課の主催の公園で、講師が県は一生懸命「アルクマ」と言うＰＲキャラクターを宣伝しているけど、
県内では結構馴染んできて、愛されてきたようだが、
県外の皆は知らないと
言う結果となっていると仰った。
ＰＲキャラクターの目的は長野県に訪ねる人数を増やすのであれば、意味がないと、はっきり言われました。
私の経験でも、亀清のフロントにアルクマくんの人形を置いてありまして、唯一「可愛い」と言ってくれるのは県内のお客様。
多過ぎるって、どれぐらい？
Japan is undergoing a "Yuru-Kyara" boom lately. A hybrid of 'cute' and weird, these "Loose-characters" seem to be popping up everywhere. Over the New Years holiday, our local newspaper had an article featuring over 100 such characters from Nagano Prefecture alone.
Shich begs the question, How many is too many?
Chikuma City's unofficial character, Yashirou of the Yashiro Business District made the list, but Onsen Manju-san from our onsen town Togura-Kamiyamada has yet to make its debut apparently.
But I am starting to wonder, how important are these Yuru-kyara? At one seminar I attended sponsored by the Prefecture's Tourism Association, the speaker mentioned how much money the Association spends on promoting its PR character, Arukuma-kun, yet no one from outside the prefecture recognizes it. Arukuma-kun has become popular with people here in the prefecture, but if his purpose is to attract visitors to Nagano then he is a failure. That matches my experience here at Kamesei. We have a Arukuma-kun doll at our front desk. The only people who comment on it are locals.
Rather than spending money and energy on something that makes one feel good, perhaps it would be better to put effort into something that has more practical effect.
アルクマ君（マイＨＰもある？！）Arukuma (with his very own dedicated website?!)
ヤシロウ Yashirou
