“One Piece” Pirates Packing Foreign Visitors into Kumamoto

Navitime Japan, based in Minato, Tokyo, operates online navigation guides providing transit, transfer, and other information. Each year the firm announces the results of its tracking of its app usage; the data gleaned from its foreign-language app for overseas visitors and non-Japanese speakers is one indication of tourism and travel trends in the country.

Recently Navitime announced the results of its latest nationwide data survey. From 2019 to 2023, Kumamoto Prefecture saw the highest growth in foreign visitors, with a 2.14-fold increase, surpassing Fukuoka Prefecture (2.06) and Yamagata Prefecture (2.00).

Among all Kumamoto destinations, the city of Uto recorded the highest growth, with a 7.33-fold increase. Further analysis revealed that the most frequently visited area was not the scenic Okoshiki Coast or downtown near Uto Station, but rather Sumiyoshi Kaigan Park, where a statue of the Straw Hat Pirate Jinbe from One Piece stands.

The statue of Jinbe at Sumiyoshi Kaigan Park in Uto, Kumamoto. (© Jiji)

In April 2016, the Kumamoto Earthquake caused extensive damage across the prefecture. Oda Eiichirō, a manga artist from Kumamoto and creator of One Piece, quickly offered his support for recovery efforts. Over the course of four years, a collaborative reconstruction project between One Piece and Kumamoto Prefecture saw statues of the Straw Hat Pirates placed in nine municipalities across the region.

This initiative proved highly successful. In the municipalities where the statues were placed, the number of foreign tourists more than doubled compared to fiscal 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a way, the Straw Hats themselves have become ambassadors, drawing international visitors to the area.

Increases in Visitor Numbers by Municipality

• Uto (Jinbe): 7.33x
• Mashiki (Sanji): 6.75x
• Takamori (Franky): 4.25x
• Minamiaso (Nico Robin): 3.74x
• Mifune (Brook): 3.60x
• Aso (Usopp): 2.59x
• Ōzu (Roronoa Zoro): 2.50x
• Nishihara (Nami): 2.50x
• Kumamoto (Monkey D. Luffy and Tony Tony Chopper): 2.25x
• Arao (no statue): 1.77x

(Top 10 growth rates in visitor numbers for Kumamoto municipalities, 2019–23.)

A deeper analysis of data from January 2023 to September 2024, focusing on foreign visitors around the statues, showed that the most visited location by foreign tourists was the statue of Usopp in front of Aso Station, in the city of Aso. Aso is a popular tourist destination, and the statue’s placement right in front of the station appears to have boosted visitation rates.

Looking further at numbers, visitors from East Asia showed particular interest in the Usopp statue, while those from Southeast Asia frequently visited the Luffy statue near Kumamoto Station. This suggests that within their tight itineraries, tourists prioritize visiting statues located near major train stations. In contrast, tourists from Europe, the Americas, and Australia tended to travel to multiple statue locations rather than just one.

(Originally published in Japanese. Banner photo: Statues of the Straw Hat Pirates from the popular manga One Piece placed at 10 locations in Kumamoto Prefecture. © Jiji.)