In the soccer-loving area of Saitama City, which is suffering amid the spread of the new coronavirus, leaders from local watering holes and places where fans of the J.League's Urawa Reds tend to congregate along with some of the team's well-known supporters have come together to produced T-shirts in an effort to boost businesses and restaurants.
The profits, minus the expenses, are shared among more than 30 businesses and companies with the aim of supporting each other.
The project got started when Toshihiro Imai, 41, the manager of the main location for Sakagura Riki, a Japanese-style pub, near Urawa Station, and 48-year-old design company president Shuichi Kakuta, who has also served as group leader of a Reds fan group, discussed doing something about the dismal situation.
In areas in and around Urawa Station, and the team's home ground of Saitama Stadium, businesses and restaurants have been hit hard by the state of emergency and request for public restraint.
At Imai's establishment, sales are said to have dropped by half. His hope was to have customers return to the area as quickly as possible, so on the T-shirts, he quoted the title of a Thin Lizzy rock song that was popular in the 1970s, putting, "The Boys Are Back in Town" in large lettering on the front.
Reds sponsors, who have businesses in Saitama, shouldered part of the financial burden to produce the T-shirts.
The list of businesses taking part in the project includes a roast chicken restaurant, Reds, which is run by top forward Shinzo Koroki's family, as well as various eateries and sports clubs.
Yuichi Kabasawa, a 41-year-old who began on the sidelines as a supporter and now has an online soccer publication, sells the T-shirts for 2,500 yen apiece (tax included) via the site's online shop. The items have generated momentum, selling one after another, with the number of sold items reportedly close to hitting 1,000.
"In the city, the bond people share had been destroyed, but it's nice to have a phrase like this that will remain in a tangible form," Imai said, expressing his joy for the project.
"We want to give back to the sport of soccer, and it's our responsibility to bring back the excitement to this city," said a passionate Kakuta.
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