"I Want to See the Tree with Hachiware" "Ah! We Have to Go": Chiikawa Christmas Market Announced, Fans Share Excitement on Social Media

The Chiikawa Christmas Market has been announced for Toyosuna Park in Chiba City, running from Tuesday, November 24 to Friday, December 25, and fans on social media are already cheering the news.

This interactive event lets visitors enjoy the world of the popular manga Chiikawa, drawn by illustrator Nagano, in the form of a Christmas market. Set in a spacious venue of approximately 6,000 square meters, it features an approximately 6-meter-tall symbol tree with special lighting, video and sound effects that go along with an original story in which the Chiikawa characters prepare for Christmas.

Inside the venue, many Christmas-themed photo spots will be set up, including giant balloons of Chiikawa, Hachiware and Usagi, each approximately 3 meters tall, as well as snow globes. The food market will also sell 35 limited-edition original menu items that are as fun to look at as they are to eat, including the "Subjugation Churros" and "Hachiware's Christmas Wreath Donut."

In addition to limited-edition merchandise sold at the special venue, there will be participatory attractions such as "Yoroi-san Market," where visitors can make a key charm by combining their favorite parts, and a game called "Candy Ring Toss." Admission is by timed entry, and ticket purchasers will receive a Christmas card and an ornament as bonus gifts.

Following the announcement, social media users posted comments such as "Wait, no way, a Christmas market makes me so happy" and "Ahh! We absolutely have to go." Others reacted excitedly to the announcement video with comments like "Kurimanju is fishing for reindeer." Many fans also shared their growing anticipation for the event, with posts like "The tree and the merchandise are both so cute! Shisa looks so adorable in glasses!!" and "I want to see the Christmas tree with Hachiware."

Chiikawa is a popular manga that illustrator Nagano has been posting on X since 2020. The gap between the small, cute little ones, known as "Chiikawa," and the sometimes nerve-racking, harsh world they live in has won broad popularity among everyone from adults to children. The TV anime airs on the Fuji TV network, including within Mezamashi TV, and the feature film Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island is now showing in theaters.

(C)nagano