A popular regional cosplay event has been cancelled by a single complaint made by an old woman. “In a place for enjoying flowers for everyone from children to old people, what sort of a place is this for a big gathering of young people?” was the criticism offered.
The event holder, “Haiji no Mura” (Heidi’s Village), a prefectural flower park modelled on an Alpine village, run by local confectionery companies and itself based on an anime, immediately folded, saying “It was a popular event, so it’s a shame”. It was the only complaint they received about the frequently held event. Apparently the delinquent cosplayers did at times have to told not to shoot amongst the flowerbeds.
The popular event was apparently used as a draw for visitors, being held six times last year alone, with an attendance of some 20,000 in total. It was scheduled to be held five times this year. They have apparently received 20 phone calls asking for reinstatement, a number surely set to rise with the article coming to the attention of 2ch. Via Yomiuri.
I expect that an event in a major Japanese city, or one held in a commercial venue, would be much more difficult to get cancelled; hopefully this is true for your local events as well? Still, these sorts of old people are present everywhere too…
Folding because of a single comment is seriously fail.
Anyway, that cosplayer is TOO DAMN HOT.
More coming up soon…
You see Japan is a bit touchy when the community is involved. They tend to stick together…. but they rarely impede each others flow. You almost never end up saying what you want because of it, but when someone breaks the taboo you can be sure others are thinking of it too…
Or not. They are experts at hiding feelings and all that.
Can this event only be in that setting, or can it be moved elsewhere? But based on what the woman argues, it’s an issue that needs to be debated with the local community, not just withdrawn like that.