A former civil servant for Tokyo's Sumida Ward has become a "hero" to help advertise the ward's appeal.
This spring, 26-year-old Norisato Kamada quit his job at the ward office where he'd worked for six years and started to play a hero called Shitamachi Senshi Saigastar (Local soldier Saigastar) that he created to publicize the ward. A theme song was released in July, and Kamada will begin full-fledged activities from September.
Kamada created a story in which Saigastar crash-landed in the ward from "Planet Sumida," and has experiences in the ward that shares the name of his home.
Raised in Sumida Ward, Kamada was bullied while in nursery school but found solace in the costumed heroes on TV. His love of such heroes receded as he grew up, but in 2012 he joined the city office to "make a contribution to his hometown." While working in public relations and creating PR programs, he came to think, "A local hero could easily convey the ward's charms to children."
He secretly developed the idea, writing it in notebooks and elsewhere. Kamada named the hero Saigastar -- "Sai" came from ukiyo-e artist Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849), who had connections to the ward, while "Ga" is a Chinese character indicating the elegance of the ward that has flourished as a merchants' town since the Edo period (1603-1867). "Star" suggests a hero.
Kamada asked a designer friend to create the hero's appearance and thought about how to publicize the character. He gradually came to want to focus on Saigastar activities, and not be bound by a routine job.
He decided to quit in September last year. His boss was surprised at first when Kamada told him, but came to support him.
Kamada left the ward office in March, making a Saigastar costume with his severance pay and opening an office in April. When he appeared as Saigastar at a cleanup event in the ward, he had a good response from children who saw him in costume and waved their hands as they passed by.
He has distributed Saigastar's theme song, which he sang, on the internet for a fee since July. Kamada will also start distributing a radio program on the internet from September. The content includes Saigastar interviewing traditional craftsmen and restaurant managers seeking to offer distinct fare.
"I want to give everything to my performances, to make children feel that Sumida is full of wonderful things," Kamada said.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
