Carp Boy gets 23 makeovers in local tourism campaign

October 28, 2016October 3, 2025 Paul Walsh 8502 Views Hiroshima Carp

Seeking to ride the Carp wave, Hiroshima towns and cities hope to lure visitors with 23 custom versions of the ‘Carp-boya’ mascot and baseball-related prizes.

Sick of the Carp yet? If they manage to win the Japan Series this weekend, you’re going to be seeing a lot more of them.

Everywhere. For a while.

Whether they win or lose in the Japan Series, securing their first Central League pennant in 25 years is still a big deal, and Hiroshima is going to make the most of it. RCC is trying to spread the Carp love beyond the city center, where their home stadium is located, with a marketing campaign that is quintessentially Japanese: a “Stamp Rally.”

Hiroshima Prefecture comprises 23 administrative districts (14 cities and 9 towns), and each of them has been assigned its own version of the much-loved ‘Carp-Boya’ mascot.

In place of his usual bat, he is brandishing a bunch of roses in the Fukuyama version, a kendama for Hatsukaichi, a cuddly submarine for Kure, and he looks like he’ll hit you upside the head if you touch his sake in the Higashi-hiroshima (where ‘Sake Town’ Saijo is located) version. Many of the motifs make sense; for example, the Onomichi Carp Boy grips some bicycle handlebars. Others are a bit of a stretch; Hiroshima City’s version has him in a yukata with a towel on his head, as two of the three “city” stamp spots are located in Onsen Town Yuki.

The campaign, aptly titled “Carp x Hiroshima’s 23 Towns and Cities: Hiroshima Red Passport” [ja], runs from October 29 to January 31. 5,000 passports will be distributed each day of the Food Festival, or you can download a 16-sheet booklet from here.

Spend ¥540 or more in any of the designated locations and you can get a stamp. Collect enough stamps and you can send them in to enter a draw for the chance to win some carp-related prizes. As there are around 80 designated spots, luckily, you don’t have to hit them all.