Yo-kai Watch Spooks Up Hawaii Tourism

Last August, Siliconera reported that Yo-kai Watch 2 had shipped two million copies in Japan. The success of Level 5’s Pokémon-like franchise has led to several collaborations and most recently the series is being used to promote Japanese tourism in Hawaii. In a brief promotional video, Eric Takahata, the managing director of Hawaii Tourism Japan, appoints Jibanyan as “children’s ambassador of Hawaii.”

The campaign assigns Nathan, Katie, Whisper, Jibanyan, and a few other major characters to each of the state’s six cardinal islands – Hawaii, Maui, Lanai, Molokai, Oahu, and Kauai – and dresses them up in tourist attire, leis and all. Jibanyan and friends introduce each of the state’s six islands and briefly highlight some of the key touristy features of each, from hula dancing to volcanic national parks, in the animated short shown above.