Full plans have been revealed for the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog × Sendai and Akiu Onsen campaign, and this is going far beyond placing the Blue Blur on a few pieces of merchandise.
Running from October 14 through December 28, the collaboration will spread Sonic-themed activities across the Akiu Onsen area of Sendai, combining exclusive artwork and collectibles with local food, traditional crafts, museums and hot spring culture.
The project is being organised by WILLER ACROSS, Sendai City, SEGA and participating local businesses as part of a wider effort to bring more international visitors to the region.
At the centre of the campaign is a series of missions located around Akiu. Visitors can complete participating activities or purchase designated collaboration products to receive a redemption ticket carrying a survey QR code.
After completing the survey, the ticket can be exchanged at the Akiu Sato Center for one of the campaign’s limited holographic character cards. Each design is limited to one per person, with tickets and cards available only while supplies last.
Life-size Sonic character panels using the new Sendai-exclusive artwork will also be placed at the mission locations, turning each stop into its own photo spot.
View the official Sonic × Sendai and Akiu Onsen campaign page here.
Rather than treating Akiu as little more than a backdrop, the campaign works Sonic directly into several of the area’s local attractions.
At Ganguan Kokeshi-ya, visitors can paint their own traditional kokeshi doll for ¥3,000 including tax. The approximately 45-minute activity must be booked by 5:00 PM two days before the visit and will not be available on Tuesdays.
The Sendai Kaleidoscope Art Museum will offer a separate kaleidoscope-making experience for ¥5,500 including tax. That activity also takes around 45 minutes, with hourly sessions available between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM. Reservations can be made until one hour before the selected session.
Several food and merchandise purchases will count as missions without requiring advance reservations.
Akiu Village Agrie no Mori will sell a collaboration zunda shake, while local supermarket Saichi will offer special ohagi marked with a Tails sticker. Regular ohagi purchases will not qualify for the Sonic mission.
Saichi will be closed on the campaign’s opening day, so the Tails collaboration ohagi will become available from October 15.
Visitors can also purchase collaboration tenugui towels at Tenshukaku Nature Park and the Akiu Sato Center. Completing any of these designated purchases earns another redemption ticket for the holographic card collection.
Original merchandise featuring the new campaign artwork will be sold at Akiu Village. Quantities will be limited, with sellout and restock information being handled through local design company Entowa Design.
WILLER has also produced a suggested one-day route linking five of the mission stages. The itinerary begins at Sendai Station and moves through Saichi, the kokeshi workshop, Akiu Village, the Sendai Kaleidoscope Art Museum and Tenshukaku Nature Park before ending at the Akiu Sato Center for card collection.
It is a fairly packed schedule, but the model route shows how the collaboration has been designed as a journey through Akiu rather than a single event held at one venue.
There is an international angle to the project as well. Sonic will be used to explain Japanese hot spring etiquette in English, helping overseas visitors understand the customs expected when using an onsen.
WILLER has also introduced multilingual booking and payment support for the reservable experiences, alongside accommodation links and information covering travel from Sendai Station and Sendai Airport.
The project is one of the more locally involved collaborations forming part of Sonic’s 35th anniversary celebrations. Instead of simply borrowing Sendai imagery for a product range, it connects Sonic with Akiu’s food, crafts, museums, natural attractions and hot spring traditions.
The Sonic the Hedgehog × Sendai and Akiu Onsen campaign runs from October 14 through December 28, 2026. Reservations are already available for the kokeshi painting and kaleidoscope-making experiences through WILLER Travel.
Stay tuned to Sonic City for more Sonic Events News and Updates!
Sources: WILLER ACROSS, WILLER Travel
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