Interview] For some reason, it's a big hit triggered by Insta! We met the men who created "Ageo Legend," a capsule toy filled with the charms of Ageo City, Saitama Prefecture!

YS Corporation, a company in Ageo City, Saitama Prefecture that plans and sells omake stickers and capsule toys, will start selling capsule toys highlighting "Ageo City" in July 2022. The company has been attracting a great deal of attention.

The mascot of Ageo City, "Appy," loved by citizens, the "Showa 30s wooden Ageo Station" from the Japan National Railways era, the "Saitama Water Park and Flowing Pool" that all Ageo citizens know, the "Ageo Maruyama Park" where you can play all day long, the very popular "Kotomekawa Otter," the mysterious "Mon Cherie Mark" at the Ageo west exit, the "Showa Showa The first series of seven products included the "Ageo no Anoji," a local confection loved by the citizens of Ageo during the Showa period (1926-1989), and the third series is currently under development.

The lineup for the second series includes "JR Ageo Station Station Building" with its cool big umbrella roof, "Saitama Water Park Pool with Waterfall" where the water from the waterfall was cold, "Doro-in-kyo in Taira," a festival covered in mud, "Ageo-Maruyama Park Slide" where you slipped until the sun went down, "Ageo Sports Park Track & Field Stadium" where you ran in an athletic meet The "Shoki-sama" stands at the Araiya Drapery Shop, and the "Ageo Park Stone Statue" sits at the Ageo PAPA.

The third series includes "Saitama Suijo Park Slider Pool," the stylishly designed "JR Kita Ageo Station (East Exit)," the large billboard "Mon chérie Street" that guards the west exit of Ageo Station, "Buppy," the character of Ageo City Children's Reading Activity Support Center, created by 300 children, and "Booppy," a character that is hard to make a face at all. The "Buppy," a character created by 300 children; the "ring-tailed lemur," which does not show its face very often; the "Fortress Slide," which was installed in Ageo Sports Park and finished its role in 2021; the "Alicover Logo," which has the mark of a cone or pea; and seven other characters that Ageo citizens would "understand! I know! and characters (?) that will make you cry! The "Alicover Logo" is a commercialized version of the "Alicover" logo.

We interviewed Mr. Tomoaki Hosaka, representative of YS Corporation, which is the planner and distributor, Mr. Toshihisa Tsukagoshi of Ageo City Tourism Association, and Mr. Shuhei Sato of Ageo City Commerce and Industry Division, who helped with the project, to hear their stories.

The "Legend of Ageo" that became a big breakthrough on Instagram

───Tell us how you came up with the idea of creating the "Ageo Densetsu," Ageo City's local gacha.

Hosaka: We originally planned and developed omake stickers and omake cards, and sold capsule toys at PAPA Ageo Shopping Mall in Ageo City, starting sales in December 2020, and have so far expanded our sales floor to Aichi Prefecture (Osu) and Hyogo Prefecture (Amagasaki).

In the process of developing the capsule toy business, I was looking for a way to create some new original products, and I realized that I myself grew up in Ageo, and I love the city of Ageo. It is a very small town compared to Omiya and Urawa (laughs).

─ Did you want to make a capsule toy of this beloved "Ageo"?

Hosaka: Yes. That is why I came up with the idea of a capsule toy with Ageo as its theme, and named the product "Ageo Densetsu" (Ageo Legend). I named it "Legend" because I thought it would be a shame to let the changes in Ageo's cityscape and climate remain only in our memories. I thought it would be a shame to let the changes in the townscape and climate of Ageo remain only in our memories, so I decided to make illustrations and key rings to preserve the atmosphere of Ageo in our memories as a legend.

─ ─ What did you think when you heard that the Ageo City Tourist Association wanted to express the charm of Ageo through key chains?

Tsukagoshi: I thought, "Here it is at last! I thought. Capsule toys in Omiya and Urawa had been the talk of the town, and these days there are always corners dedicated to capsule toys in large commercial facilities. Couldn't we do the same in Ageo City? I was very happy to hear from them because I had thought about it before.

───How do you feel about the response?

Hosaka: On July 23, the day sales began, I was secretly at the Ario Ageo store watching the sales floor. I was there until around noon, but at that point, only about five groups had tried to play the gacha gacha, and I returned to the office feeling that it would be difficult to make a gacha gacha with the theme of Ageo City.

I was depressed because I had made 2,000 gachas.... I was depressed (laughs).

(laughs) While I was feeling down like this, on the evening of the 23rd, I suddenly received a call from the Ario Ageo store and the AEON MALL Ageo store (C-pla) saying that they had run out of product and needed me to come and restock.

───Suddenly you had a breakthrough?

Hosaka: That's right. From there, I went around to each location and restocked the vending machines with capsules. The next day, in the evening, the vending machines at each location were empty, and I had to go around refilling them again. I was wondering what was going on when a user told me, "The Legend of Ageo is buzzing on Instagram! I had no idea because I was not on Instagram. I guess it's better to do everything (laughs).

──Did you feel like you were introduced by a so-called "influencer"?

Hosaka: That seems to be the case. Now everyone at the factory is working together to manufacture the product. The specific number of units sold is a secret, but I am trying to show the citizens of Ageo what a wonderful town it is! I was very happy because I wanted many Ageo citizens to know that Ageo is such a wonderful town!

─ ─ That ...... sorry for the basic question now! Could you tell us what kind of town Ageo is?

Tsukagoshi: It is a city with a population of 230,000, located to the north of Saitama City. There are no oceans, mountains, or outstanding tourist facilities, but there are a lot of people (laughs). It is a great place to live, with easy access to Tokyo, an abundance of commercial facilities, park facilities such as Maruyama Park and Sports Park, and plenty of greenery and nature to the east and west of the city limits. The Children's Castle, a children's center, once ranked first among all children's centers in Japan in terms of the number of users (according to a survey by the Foundation for the Promotion of Healthy Growth of Children). I believe this is a town where everyone can enjoy living.

The lineup is full of love for Ageo!

──What is your favorite key ring in this lineup?

Sato: They are all wonderful, but I would have to say "Joki-sama" and "Flowing Pool". I was born and raised in Ageo, so there is something about the water park that makes me giggle.

Hosaka: The pool in Mizukami Park is actually a large pool facility that was closed last year. There is also the "Ageo Park Stone Statue" on the site of the old Prince Park, and the dorayaki I used to eat when I was in elementary school were made with the characters for "Ageo. By the way, Ageo is actually called the "rural town" of Saitama Prefecture. Is that an exaggeration (laughs)?

Sato: I thought the Alicover and Shosan Plaza logos were surprisingly good as capsule toys. This is also the only one in Kamio.

─ Looking at the lineup from the first to the third series, we see JR Ageo Station, JR Kita Ageo Station, and a wooden Ageo Station from the 1930s.

Ageo Station in the JNR era (photo taken in 1962, courtesy of the Ageo City Board of Education)

───There is also a credit "JR East Merchandising Permission Granted"! This should make railroad fans happy.

Ageo city mascot "Appy

Station House Key Chain

Hosaka: The station building is used by all Ageo citizens. We are very grateful for the understanding and cooperation of all concerned parties and companies that made this possible. We hope that railroad fans will stop by Ageo and try the gacha and collect them.

Toshihisa Tsukakoshi (left) and Shuhei Sato (right)

─ I see that the capsule toy vending machines are installed in seven locations: Ageo City Hall, Ageo Souvenir and Tourism Center, Ario Ageo Store, Ageo PAPA Shopping Avenue, near the entrance on the second floor of Alicover Ageo Hotel Building, on the second floor of AEON MALL Ageo Store (C-Plaza), and at Yaegusa Shrine (shrine office). They are very wide ranging, from shopping malls to public facilities and lodging facilities.

Hosaka: I would like to express my gratitude to the Ageo City Tourist Association for their cooperation and introduction to all of you.

─ ─ Mr. Tsukagoshi and Mr. Sato, do you have any wishes for such key chains in the future? We would like to take this opportunity to ask for your suggestions.

Sato: The "Joki-sama" (a small statue of Shoki the Plague-Queller), which I mentioned in the "Favorite Key Chain" section, and the logos of Alicover and Shosan are items that are unique to Ageo, and we thought about what we wanted to represent Ageo, so we proposed them to you.

As for what we would like to see in the future, although it is a very niche item, there is a nationally designated cultural property in Ageo City called "Ageo's Tsumita (rice paddy) and field cultivation tools. These tools were used for rice cultivation in some areas of the city until around the 1960s, when rice seeds were sown directly in the rice paddies. I think this is something that will catch on with core fans. I also suggest ....... A little too niche, don't you think? (lol).

Kaihei-bashi bridge is also a good idea. Mr. Hosaka and I are working on a plan to include it in the Ageo Fireworks Festival!

Tsukagoshi: Mr. Hosaka and I meet once or three times a month and come up with various ideas. If I tell you what we are doing here, it would be uninteresting, so I hope that you will keep an eye out for it (laughs). If you think something like this would be great, please tweet about it on Twitter with #UeoDensetsu. Mr. Hosaka is very receptive to good ideas.

─ Finally, what are your future plans?

Hosaka: The "Ageo Legend" local gacha has just begun. We are planning not only to release new products, but also to develop a new sales system, high-quality items, and various other projects. The new sales system is an "exchange system. The new sales system is an "exchange system," but it is not an exchange of existing products, but an exchange of surplus or duplicate "The Legend of Ageo" key chains for key chains that can only be obtained through the "exchange system.

In addition to the key chains, we are also planning to offer a local sticker called "Ageo Densetsu Omake Sticker" that can be obtained through the exchange. We hope to start the "exchange system" after the summer of 2023. We will announce the details on our official Twitter and other media when they are finalized.

We will continue to promote the charms of Ageo through the fourth and fifth installments. We will also incorporate companies and stores that are active in Ageo City into the Ageo legend. We hope it will be an opportunity for not only the citizens of Ageo, but also people from other cities and prefectures to come to Ageo. We would be happy if you find the Ageo Gacha interesting.

We will continue to come up with projects that will surprise local Gacha fans, and we look forward to working with you!

Product Information

Gotochi Gacha "Ageo Densetsu" Vol.1, Vol.2, Vol.3

On sale now!

Locations of vending machines: Ageo City Hall, Ario Ageo, Ageo Souvenir & Tourism Center, Ageo PAPA Shopping Mall, Alicover Ageo Hotel 2nd floor, AEON MALL Ageo (C-pla), Yaeda Shrine

Selling price: 300 yen per transaction

Planning/Sales agency: Y.S. Corporation Co.

Planning cooperation: Ageo City Tourist Association