Countermeasures Against COVID-19 Seen in Toyama Prefecture Organizations and Media Roll Out Projects and Campaigns
Amid the recent changes in daily life due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which have highlighted issues like pandemic fatigue, many companies, organizations, and media outlets have launched various projects and campaigns to counter these challenges. Here, we introduce examples from Toyama Prefecture.
"Think at Home: Now More Than Ever, Let's Carefully Consider the Future"
TOYAMATO, which promotes urban revitalization in Toyama, launched the prefecture's future-oriented project "Think at home: Now is the time to carefully consider the future" in May. Precisely because people are spending more time at home now, this initiative looks ahead to the next phase beyond STAY HOME, encouraging people to contemplate how to perceive and live their "future" alongside leading experts from various fields.
*TOYAMATO is a new company established in December 2019 by Atom, the Hokuriku Shimbun, and Ayumu Ishikawa (Chiba Lotte Marines professional baseball player).
Related article:https://dentsu-ho.com/articles/7091
This project aims to gather, share, and disseminate knowledge for building Toyama's new future. Children, who will shape tomorrow, were invited to participate in remote meetings from home. They heard thoughts from athletes and prominent figures active in various fields about the current environment and considered the future together.
For the launch, players from Toyama's representative professional sports teams, the Toyama Grouses (basketball) and Kataller Toyama (soccer), participated and conversed with children from their respective junior teams. The event was broadcast on the official YouTube channel. The Hokuriku Shimbun published an announcement. The project plans to continue by seeking cooperation from athletes and celebrities going forward.
TOYAMATO Official Channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpF9N6cCKvSl8cg6gxfiOcQ
"Let's Draw Kuta-be" Campaign
On May 30, the Hokuriku Shimbun and Dentsu West Japan Inc. launched the "Draw a Kutabe Picture" campaign. The goal is to help people reduce their COVID fatigue and feel more energetic by drawing pictures of the "Kutabe," a yokai (supernatural creature) originating from Toyama.
Kutabe is a yokai said to have appeared in Toyama during the Edo period, warning, "An illness of unknown cause will soon spread, but if you draw my image and display it, you will likely escape harm."
For this campaign, the Hokuriku Shimbun will solicit Kutabe drawings from the general public (deadline June 30) and plans to periodically feature selected submissions in its pages.
The original Kuta-be illustration by the late yokai manga artist Shigeru Mizuki, which adorned the submission page, generated significant buzz within the prefecture. While "Amabie" has gained nationwide fame as a similar yokai, the campaign aims to spread awareness of Kuta-be as well.
[Overview]
Submission Method: Email or postal mail (details below)
Contact: Kitanihon Shimbun Sales Department, "Draw Kutabe" Section
Phone: 076-445-3373
Email Address:kutabe@ma.kitanippon.co.jp 
Details:https://webun.jp/pub/ad/2020/kutabe/boshu_kutabe.pdf
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