Interest
Town Prepares for Returning Crowds of 100,000+ Due to Girls & Panzer
posted on by Jennifer Sherman
The Ibaraki Shimbun newspaper reported on Sunday that the town of Ōarai, Ibaraki is again preparing for crowds of 100,000 or more visitors leading up to the annual Ōarai Anglerfish Festival, which will be held on Sunday. Considering that the town has a population of 17,000, that will be no small feat. The town, which calls itself "The Oceanfront Town," has Girls und Panzer to thank for the boom in tourism.
The festival began in 1998 to promote the town and its seafood specialty. For several years, the event drew in crowds of about 50,000 people. However, the event began collaborating with Girls und Panzer in 2012, the same year the television anime debuted. The initial collaboration drew a modest increase in attendance, and 65,000 people drawing in 100,000 visitors in 2013.
The event's staff reported that 130,000 people attended the event last year. Despite the town's precautions, the influx of people caused traffic congestion up to five kilometers (about three miles) away. Staff reported cases of people abandoning their cars and walking to the event. Accommodations in Ōarai for this year's event were reportedly booked by the end of August, so the festival will likely push the town's transportation capabilities to its limits again.
Therefore, the festival's staff is offering more parking and supplemental trains to combat the anticipated crowds. Buses with Girls und Panzer wrapping will operate between Ibaraki Airport and Ōarai on Saturday.
The five main cast and theme song performer Masahiro Chōno will appear for photograph sessions.
Ōarai has become an anime campaigns for the anime itself.
The first of open in 59 Japanese theaters on December 9.
[Via Hachima Kikō]
