Square Enix’s SaGa franchise has received a lot of love from the company in recent years, as an array of new entries in the series alongside classic rereleases have shuttled the RPG franchise back into the public consciousness. The company isn’t limiting this revival of the series to its video games, either, forming a pun-fueled partnership with the Saga region of Japan for a unique yearly tourism initiative.
First taking place in 2014, this collaboration with Square Enix’s long-running RPG series is a conduit to celebrate local crafts, produce and traditions. At first, this event was a rather small-scale affair, limited to a little exhibition in Saga’s city center, with a few nationwide outposts to promote the region through the world of the game and its characters in places like Tokyo. This year, the event is being produced in partnership with eight different businesses in the area, enough locations for an RPG adventure of your own.
Each partnership seeks to blend the traditional with the fantasy of SaGa. Takeo Onsen Bussankan, one of the region’s many hot spring onsens, is selling Yumino dolls (a form of traditional clay doll native to that city in the prefecture) inspired by the franchise’s mascot character, Sensei. Beyond that, wind chimes, a specially-themed crab dish using locally-caught crab, tea, teapots, and other tableware have also been produced by different local businesses. Meanwhile, in partnership with the region and gaming-themed craft beer company Game Brew, four themed Abyss Brew beers based on the series will be sold nationwide.
The event speaks to a growing trend of regions across Japan encouraging tourism to their areas through recognizable games and pop culture IP. Saga Prefecture is often viewed as one of the least desirable prefectures to visit by domestic tourists, but according to Yoshinori Yamaguchi, the region’s governor, projects like a series of themed manhole covers using sprites and characters from the games have generated “a lot of support from fans around the country.” There are now 32 themed manhole covers based on SaGa across the prefecture, alongside themed postboxes, buses, and trains totaling over 200 total tourist spots for fans.
Square Enix has become a big booster of tourism in Japan of late, also launching a Final Fantasy-themed tourism campaign for Fukushima Prefecture earlier this spring. As the company continues to show love for the SaGa series, perhaps fans old and new will find reasons to visit this undervisited area of Japan. The latest wave of collaborative events will begin on October 12th.