Funassyi’s first gotōchi chara festival, Nashi Matsuri 2018, took place in Meiji Jingu Gaien Park in Tokyo last weekend - and it seemed to be a hit.
But someone was missing - Kureshi (呉氏), official mascot of Kure city, Hiroshima Prefecture, who was supposed to be there on Saturday. In the previous week there was very heavy rain causing devastating flooding and mudslides in parts of Japan, and Kure was one of the worst affected cities in the country.
Kureshi’s absence did not go unnoticed - Tochisuke was wearing a Kureshi patch on his cape, and a cardboard cutout was put up in the space where his merchandise booth would have been (next to Zamarin’s).
At the end of the event on Monday evening, Funassyi announced that his appearance fee and licensing fees from sales of goods at the event would be donated to the city of Kure.
If you are interested in volunteering or donating towards disaster relief in western Japan, there is some information here.
Image sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
