Hong Kong★Kumamon Makes Debut as One-Day Store Manager, Promoting Kumamoto Cuisine in Hong Kong

The "Japan Kumamoto Gourmet Festival" (Kumamoto Gourmet Fair), showcasing foods from Kumamoto Prefecture, was held at AEON Stores Hong Kong from January 31 to February 19. On the first day, Kumamon, the prefecture's Sales Manager and Happiness Manager, served as a one-day store manager at the Corn Hill branch. This marked Kumamon's first time serving as a one-day store manager overseas. This was reported by NNA, which distributes economic information on Asia.

On the fair's opening day, after his store manager inauguration ceremony, Kumamon posed for photos with children and toured the store. Yoshiaki Bando, Representative of the Kumamoto Prefecture Asia Office (Singapore), stated, "Kumamon will help bridge the gap between Hong Kong and Kumamoto. We hope more tourists from Hong Kong will visit Kumamoto."

The fair sold Kumamoto's specialty product, the world's largest citrus fruit, the Banpeiyu pomelo. It was promoted to local consumers as a decorative alternative to kumquats, traditionally displayed in Guangdong and Hong Kong households during the Lunar New Year, with the appeal that it "brings great fortune." A Hong Kong woman who sampled it remarked, "It has a sweetness within the sourness. It's tastier than Chinese kumquats," and was seen promptly purchasing some.