The Shin 7iro8jo Project's Original Mascot Mecha-Kiunn Is Finally Here!

The Shin 7iro8jo (Nanairo Hachijo) Project starting from Hachijojima has developed a mascot character as an icon of its brand concept, Nanairo Hachijo, and is sending out information through the creation of videos and the use of social media. The tourism season of Hachijojima is mostly during the summer, so there are few visitors to the island during the other seasons. The mascot was developed with the aim of increasing visitors to the island during off-season.

The original mascot, Mecha-Kiunn, was unveiled to represent Hachijojima, be loved, and serve as an influencer to transmit the appeal of Hachijojima.

(The completed Mecha-Kiunn mascot)

There were several animal motifs such as a whale or a kiunn (Chinese muntjac) as candidates for the mascot. The kiunn was selected because it is an animal that is actually kept at the Hachijo Botanical Park.

However, even with an animal mascot, it is rather difficult to differentiate it with the numerous regional mascots. So, it was decided that the concept should be a kiunn robot, a character that walks with an independent power source, is adorable, full of curiosity, inquisitive, and eager to learn. Mecha-Kiunn actively investigates things about Hachijojima, is passionate about learning about making things go viral, and posts on social media.

As can be seen in the photo, the Mecha-Kiunn plush toy was successfully completed. It is an endearing mascot that is sure to attract younger people to Hachijojima.

(Mecha-Kiunn's Twitter account https://mobile.twitter.com/mecha_kiunn)

Mecha-Kiunn is a social media influencer and mainly posts on Twitter and the video site TikTok. On Twitter, Mecha-Kiunn posts about their trials and errors in trying to go viral on social media. On TikTok, they show the ocean from Mecha-Kiunn's viewpoint, and dig deep into the attractions of Hachijojima's tourism resources such as kusaya (salted, dried, and fermented fish), shiitake mushrooms, and other island delicacies.

(Some of Mecha-Kiunn's TikTok videos https://www.tiktok.com/@mecha.kiunn1944)

We are getting ready to release videos of the island's tourism resources on YouTube in the future. We intend to introduce the charming landscape of Hachijojima from Mecha-Kiunn's perspective through properly edited, quality videos.