OKAYAMA — An unusual hero tasked with promoting measures implemented by the Okayama prefectural government has created a buzz on the internet.
The character of Oka-Liger was created by the prefectural government to communicate its measures to people of all ages through YouTube and other tools. He wears a red, full-face mask with horns and a leather jacket, as well as denim jeans - Okayama Prefecture is a major domestic producer of denim.
Okayama is also known as the home of Momotaro, a famous Japanese folktale about a boy born from a peach who goes to an island to fight ogres, accompanied by a dog, a monkey and a pheasant. Oka-Liger was founded on the idea that one of the defeated ogres, named Ura, has been resurrected as a hero who solves people's problems.
In the first video featuring Oka-Liger, he sees people suffering from sneezing and itchy eyes due to attacks by pollen monsters and conquers monsters by learning from a project to plant cedar and cypress trees that have a low pollen content. The research institute for forest and forest products in Okayama has promoted the project.
The prefectural government wants to raise public awareness of social issues, by creating more videos on such topics as the appeal of nursing care work and the digitization of tax payment procedures.