Godzilla VS Shinjuku Ward: Hometown Tax Collaboration Returns! Promoting Local Specialties and Traditional Crafts

Shinjuku Ward has relaunched its hometown tax collaboration with Godzilla, showcasing dyed textiles, printed goods, and locally processed foods from September 1 to December 31, 2025.

A Fusion of Tradition and Pop Culture

Shinjuku Ward (Mayor: Kenichi Yoshizumi) has once again joined forces with Godzilla, who also serves as the ward’s tourism ambassador, launching the project on September 1, 2025. Leveraging the ward’s two major local industries—dyeing and printing/bookbinding—the collaboration offers original return gifts such as dyed fabrics, posters, and foods produced within the ward.

Collaboration Period: September 1 – December 31, 2025

Applications can be made via the special site Shinjuku Furusato Tax Godzilla 2025
or on other hometown tax portal sites.
https://furusato-shinjuku.jp/godzilla2025/

Return Gift Lineup

Dyeing: Kimono, yukata, tenugui, card cases, coin purses, neckties, fans, tote bags, T-shirts

Printing/Bookbinding: Posters, stamp books, accordion notebooks

Food: Mala soup, drip coffee, mille-feuille, seaweed

Shinjuku’s Two Major Local Industries

Shinjuku’s dyeing industry, essential for kimono production, relocated along the Kanda and Myōshōji rivers after pollution and the Great Kanto Earthquake pushed workshops away from downtown Tokyo. By the 1950s, demand for formal kimono surged, securing Shinjuku’s place as one of Japan’s top three kimono-producing regions alongside Kyoto and Kanazawa. Even today, numerous workshops preserve this tradition at the base of Shinjuku’s skyscrapers.

Shinjuku as a Printing Hub

Since the Meiji era, Shinjuku has been known for publishing and printing. Key factors included the construction of Shueisha’s factory in 1886, the development of Shinjuku Station, and the expansion of labor supply. Major publishers such as Hakubunkan and Nisshin Printing also relocated here, attracting many small and medium-sized printing companies. Today, about 800 businesses form a key industry, accounting for 80% of Shinjuku’s manufacturing firms and 90% of shipment value, making Shinjuku a hub for information and culture.

About Godzilla

Since first appearing in 1954, the King of the Monsters has captivated audiences worldwide. The 2023 Japanese film Godzilla Minus One grossed 7.64 billion yen (about $52 million) domestically and over 15 billion yen ($102 million) globally. Hollywood’s fifth installment, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, surpassed 84.5 billion yen (about $574 million) worldwide. Celebrating its 70th anniversary in November 2024, Godzilla remains an unrivaled global icon.

Source : PR TIMES