Kakogawa City Character "Kakono-chan" Dance Video Completed to Boost Recognition, Devised by Students

Kakogawa City, Hyogo Prefecture (Mayor: Yasuhiro Okada), as part of the Kakogawa "Chi" wo Musubu Project, which aims to solve regional issues through collaboration between Kakogawa City, Konan University, and Kobe Shimbun, has produced and released a "Kakono-chan Dance" video aimed at increasing the recognition of the city's charm ambassador character, "Kakono-chan." This project was led by students from Professor Mochizuki's seminar at Konan University's Faculty of Business Administration, who explored measures to promote the character. To verify the appeal of the dance devised by the students, a demonstration experiment was conducted at a children's hall in the city. Following this, an official PR video featuring Mayor Okada and city officials was completed. <@Kakogawa City Official Channel> https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-ffJbPwswE4 ■ Background and Purpose of Implementation ・Current Recognition Status An survey conducted in October 2025 in front of JR Kakogawa Station (targeting 194 people / 113 citizens) revealed that 77% of citizens (62% overall) recognized "Kakono-chan." Based on these results, the project was planned to further increase recognition and make the character beloved and familiar to citizens through a "dance" promotion that children can enjoy. ・Giving Shape to Student Proposals Students from Professor Mochizuki's seminar at Konan University devised the dance with the desire to "further enhance Kakono-chan's recognition." They collaborated with the city's city promotion staff to complete a video that anyone can enjoy dancing to. ■ About the Demonstration Experiment at Shikata Children's Hall Prior to the completion of the dance, a demonstration experiment was conducted on January 24, Reiwa 7 (2025), as follows, to verify its appeal and effectiveness. ・Content of Implementation At the Municipal Shikata Children's Hall, a workshop-style experiment was conducted with approximately 20 participants, including children, guardians, and children's hall staff, where they actually danced the "Kakono-chan Dance." ・Purpose By having participants directly evaluate the appeal of the music and dance, it was confirmed whether the content was easy for children to learn and enjoy. ・Reflection of Results Based on the reactions and evaluations obtained from this demonstration experiment, Professor Mochizuki's seminar explored methods to strengthen charm dissemination, including spreading information via SNS. These efforts led to the current project. ■ About the Video Content and Release ・Content Mayor Yasuhiro Okada and Kakogawa City Hall officials perform the "Kakono-chan Dance" with original choreography devised by the students. The composition highlights the character's cuteness while conveying a sense of familiarity. ・Release Locations @Kakogawa City Official Channel https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-ffJbPwswE4 @kakogawa_citypromo https://www.instagram.com/kakogawa_citypromo/ ・Future Developments Utilizing the completed video, the city will strengthen the dissemination of "Kakono-chan's" charm both within and outside the city through SNS and other channels. ■ About the Kakogawa "Chi" wo Musubu Project This project is an initiative where Kakogawa City, Konan University, and Kobe Shimbun collaborate to utilize the specialized knowledge of the university and the free ideas of students to solve regional issues. This dance project is also one of the achievements of this industry-government-academia collaboration, aiming for regional revitalization and the fostering of civic pride. ■ About Kakogawa City's Charm Ambassador Character "Kakono-chan" "Kakono-chan" is a character drawn by illustrator Noizi Ito, who is also the Kakogawa Tourism Ambassador, to widely convey the charm of Kakogawa City both within and outside the city. Through this dance project, the aim is for the character to be loved by more citizens and become a familiar symbol of the city. 【Profile of Noizi Ito】 Born in Kakogawa City, Hyogo Prefecture. Kakogawa Tourism Ambassador since August 2023. After working for the PC game brand "UnisonShift," she began working as a freelance illustrator. She has illustrated light novels such as "Shakugan no Shana," "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya," and "Ame Hisao's Reasoning Carte." Her activities continue to expand, including illustrations for light novels, visuals for bishojo games, image characters for regional revitalization projects, and character design. She is one of Japan's leading illustrators, widely supported not only by light novel and anime fans but also by a broad audience.