Virtual singer Hatsune Miku will be appointed as the official support character for the "Hirosaki Neputa 300th Anniversary Festival" to be held in August this year. On June 16th, Hirosaki City announced.

Hatsune Miku is a music software character developed by Crypton Future Media (Sapporo City). It features a blue-green twin tail, and you can enter lyrics and melody to sing a song. From 2019, Hirosaki has welcomed Hatsune Miku's derivative character "Sakura Miku" as the official support character for the Hirosaki Cherry Blossom Festival.

"Hirosaki Neputa" will be held as "Hirosaki Neputa 300th Anniversary Festival" because it will be the 300th anniversary of 1722 (Kyoho 7), which first appeared in the literature. The joint operation of the Hirosaki Neputa Festival is the first in three years. In addition to conducting sponsorship projects, the Shikoku Kinbira Neputa Festival was held in Kotohira Town, Kagawa Prefecture in May.

Hatsune Miku's visuals announced by Hirosaki City on June 16 are 2 life-sized and 6 SD characters. Mr. Kuroshishi, who was in charge of the main visual, is from Kumamoto and is an illustrator who draws illustrations such as light novels. Sub-visual daidou is an illustrator living in Aomori, and has drawn "Sakura Miku" in collaboration with the 2019 Hirosaki Cherry Blossom Festival, and this is the second time he has been appointed in relation to Hirosaki.

In the collaboration project, posters of the festival using illustrations will be posted, and PR stickers will be distributed. Illustrations will be posted in the August issue of "Public Information Hirosaki" published on August 1, and a welcome board will be placed at the Hirosaki Station Central Exit (1.8 meters wide and 3.6 meters high) and the Hirosaki Municipal Tourist Center after early July. It will be installed on the north side wall (3.6 meters long and 7.2 meters wide).

It develops collaboration products with local companies and sells official goods at tourist facilities in Hirosaki. At Hirosaki Station free passages, tourist facilities, festival venues, etc., a welcome announcement using Hatsune Miku's voice is planned to be broadcast, and it is also being considered to broadcast it on the radio.

The Hirosaki Neputa Festival will be held from August 1st to 7th.