Japan City of Kusatsu Uses Name Mix-Up as PR Opportunity

Kusatsu, Shiga Pref., Dec. 15 (Jiji Press)–The city of Kusatsu in the western Japan prefecture of Shiga, often confused for the famous “onsen” hot spring town in eastern Japan sharing the same name, is using the mix-up as a public relations opportunity. Every year, the tourist information office and other related facilities in the Shiga city handle about 100 visits and inquiries from people confusing the city with the town of Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture, which is about 300 kilometers away, according to the Shiga city’s tourism and products association. One day in October, a tourist from Taiwan visited the information office seeking an onsen facility. The city, the second-most populous municipality in Shiga, faces the need to enhance its name recognition outside the prefecture to avoid the name confusion. In a fresh approach to the problem, an official of the association suggested using the muddle-up as an opportunity, coming up with the “Onsen-nai Manju,” or “onsenless manju,” steamed bun with bean paste. The product, made by a traditional Japanese sweets shop in the city, was launched in June. The manju bun, which features a crossed-out onsen symbol, has quickly become popular. An X post promoting the product garnered about 44,000 likes. “It’s a hot seller, for which we receive orders for about 1,000 products per month,” an official of the sweets shop said, adding that some people from Gunma also come to the city to buy the manju. The Shiga city developed a related mascot, called Onsen Dorobou, or “onsen thief,” in cooperation with students from Ritsumeikan University, which has a campus in the city. According to the association’s website, the character is on a journey to steal hot springs throughout the country with a goal of turning Lake Biwa, Japan’s biggest lake located in Shiga, into one huge onsen. The city raised funds to create a full-body costume for the character through a crowdfunding project. It plans to use the costumed mascot for promotional activities outside the prefecture. The city of Kusatsu was a hub for transportation on the lake, flourishing as a staging post where two major routes intersected during the Edo period, which lasted until 1868. It offers many scenic and gourmet spots. “We’d be thrilled if people discover Kusatsu’s charms after learning about the city as the one without an onsen resort,” Shunta Araki, 27, of the association said. In the namesake town in Gunma, Shunsuke Fukuda, 39, of the Kusatsu onsen tourism association said, “To be honest, I find the (Shiga city’s) efforts to be interesting.” He added that the town “appreciates” the efforts. He voiced hopes for further cooperation between the two same-name municipalities, which have forged a friendship pact. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]