Manga boosts town’s coffers. Lucky Star brings a ￥100 million to economy.

2009.06.08

On weekends the Washnomiya Shrine in Washnomiya Machi Saitama Prefecture fills with men aged between 20-40.
Men also enjoying the boost!?

... It’s hard to believe! But Washinomiya Shrine, located an hour’s train ride out of Tokyo is the location for the anime Lucky Star, and a Mecca for otaku.

Washinomiya Shrine has become popular as a place of pilgrimage for Lucky Star otaku.font>。

Pilgrims dressed in their cosplay costumes, commemorative photos and parking areas filled with “itasha” cars covered in manga character stickers and paintings.

The moe phenomenon has brought an economic flow-on of over 100 million yen.。

Can Japanese manga save dying townships?
All eyes are on the this unique economic effect.

Many emas(絵馬) with illustrations

Ita-sha (Lit; painful-car)

Lucky Star
Price 798 Yen (inc.tax)

Series sold over 3.5 million copies
Volume 1 to 6 on sale now
Series in magazines Gekkan Konputiku and Gekkan Compuesu

Story
Izumi Konata is a high school girl who loves manga and anime. She will do her utmost for anything or anyone she likes.
Her stories are full of incidents that face a typical high school girl and her friends.
Take a look and you will surely envy her.

(C)美水かがみ／角川書店

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