World Character Summit in Hanyū

This is a once-a-year chance to meet mascots from all over Japan — and the world.

What happens?

If you’ve encountered any cultural news from Japan, you’re almost certainly familiar with the concept of yuru-chara, the kawaii mascots used to promote things like regions, companies, and organizations. They make cameos across marketing materials and appear at events, with their designs often inspired by what they’re meant to promote (from cultural signatures to produce).

You know Kumamon? He’s a yuru-chara — and an extremely successful one at that.

Within the genre of yuru-chara is a subset called gotōchi-chara, meaning local characters. And that’s what the World Character Summit celebrates.

Highlights 2025

This year’s local character festival is bigger than ever, with nearly 200 mascots appearing, including many making a comeback after years away. Alongside the parades, dances, and photo ops, fans can also take part in voting for their favorite character jingle. Voting runs from August 25 to September 29,

Tickets

The event is free to attend. Food and merchandise have a separate cost.

How to get there

The World Character Summit will be spread out across Hanyū City Hall and the nearby Hanyū Peace Park. To get there from Tokyo you can catch the Jōetsu or Hokuriku Shinkansen to Kumagaya and then catch the Chichibu Railway to Hanyū Station. From Asakusa, the express train on the Tobu Skytree Line is making special stops at Hanyū Station on the trains departing Asakusa at 8:40 and 9:40 a.m. For other Tobu Skytree Line trains departing Asakusa Station, you can change to the local Isesaki Line at Tōbu-Dōbutsu-Kōen Station and then change again at Kuki Station for the local train to Hanyū. Alternatively, you can catch the Ueno-Tokyo Line to Kuki Station and then change to the Tobu Isesaki Line for Hanyū Station. The festival area is a roughly 20-minute walk from Hanyū Station. Check the offical website for information on parking if you plan to come by car.