Do you know Blue Lock, which was trending on Twitter during the World Cup together with other soccer-related tags?

Blue Lock is one of the hottest manga and anime in Japan right now. It’s a story that includes many battle royale elements, which makes it enjoyable for both fans of soccer (or football, as you may call it) and people who don’t know anything about the sport.

Whether you're interested in Blue Lock, soccer, a trip to Kyoto, or any of the above, you can’t miss this special collaboration called "Blue Lock Off the Ball in Kyoto!" (ブルーロック OFF THE BALL in KYOTO)!

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Blue Lock Off the Ball in Kyoto

This event will be held between December 17th, 2022, to January 31st, 2023, at Toei Kyoto Studio Park (東映太秦映画村 tōei uzumasa eigamura), a famous Kyoto sightseeing spot which we've reported on in depth.

Toei Kyoto Studio Park is a unique place where you can observe the filming of movies and TV shows. The studio is most often used for historical dramas. You can walk around the special park which looks a lot like a Japanese town from the days of yore.

The Blue Lock event venue at the studio park will feature special announcements and guidance from the voice actors who play 潔世一 Yoichi Isagi and 蜂楽廻 Meguru Bachira. There are also many original goods and fun experiences, including a collaboration with a shrine, waiting for you there.

Let’s take a look!

Enjoy walking around Kyoto and get a pin badge

If you participate in the stamp rally called “A Day Off with Blue Lock,” you can receive a special pin badge as a reward for collecting five or more out of eight stamps.

A shrine famous for sports!

The Shiramine Shrine (白峯神宮 | shiramine jingū) is the main reason why I recommend the stamp rally even if you don't consider yourself a Blue Lock fan. If you like soccer in general, you may be interested in this shrine known for its connection to 蹴鞠 kemari, an athletic game that was popular in Japan between the 8th and 14th centuries. Kemari requires many techniques similar to dribbling in the modern game of soccer. For this reason, the god the shrine is dedicated to has become known as the god of sports. Many famous athletes have been known to pay their respects there!

The shrine will also be selling event exclusive 絵馬 ema, wooden plaques used by Shinto and Buddhist worshippers, as part of this collaboration.

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Collaboration Goods

This item is the one best suited to being a souvenir. This is a box of 八ツ橋 yatsuhashi sweets in special packaging featuring the characters dressed in traditional Japanese clothing! It will set you back 1,000 JPY.

Yatsuhashi is the souvenir that Kyoto is best known for. It is made from a very thin layer mochi, wrapped around a dollop of sweet red bean paste, and cut into a triangle. Yatsuhashi are also typically topped with a sprinkling of cinnamon powder. It’s almost a given that you should be buying this if you're visiting Kyoto, so why not pick up this collaboration package while you’re there?

Trading acrylic stands for super deformed versions (トレーディングアクリルスタンド和服ミニキャラver) of each of the characters in Japanese traditional clothing are also available for 660 JPY apiece. The designs are heavily inspired by themes and motifs in the show. For example, Bachira (yellow), who is good at dribbling, is playing kemari, and Nagi (black) and Leo (purple) have matching dango snacks because they are always together in the story.

For those of you who would like goods of the characters in their normal forms, there are facial cleaning sheets (あぶらとり紙 aburatorigami) and trading hologram pin badges (トレーディングホログラム缶バッジ和服ver) for 660 JPY apiece.

If you purchase goods at the event space at Toei Kyoto Studio Park, every 2,000 JPY will earn you a chance to draw a mini business card for one of the characters. There are a total of 17 designs featuring one of the characters in either their chibi or normal forms.

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There are also two types of games you can play to earn goods. You can play “Aim to become a striker” (ストライカーをめざせ! sutoraikā o mezase) for 600 JPY a play to earn an extra-large pin badge in one of eight designs featuring one of the characters in their normal form, an acrylic coaster in one of nine chibi designs, or a sticker in one of 17 designs featuring the characters in both of chibi and normal designs. You can also play a kind of gacha called ガラポン garapon for 600 JPY a play to earn one of the desktop accessories you see below. Of course, you don’t get to pick the one you want. The goods are distributed at random.

If you buy a collaboration ticket for this event, you'll also get this original sport towel as a gift. Check the official ticket website.

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Special food and drink

The food and drink services at the studio park will also be offering special menu items during the event which include dishes that appeared in the anime and an event-exclusive collaboration menu. With each order of an item, you'll get one of 11 different coasters once again featuring the characters in both chibi and normal forms. You can learn the details of the menu at this website and on their Twitter account.

Don’t miss your chance to enjoy both Kyoto and Blue Lock through this special event!

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Information

• Official website