Kumamoto’s beloved bear mascot Kumamon is getting a permanent stone home in the city centre, and you can help make it happen. A coalition of shopping streets and commercial facilities in central Kumamoto City has launched a crowdfunding campaign to install a Kumamon stone statue along Toricho-suji, the city’s main downtown boulevard. The statue — roughly 120 cm tall (about 165 cm including its base) — will stand in front of HAB@熊本 near the Granite Ball landmark in Chuo Ward. The project is part of the broader Kumamonno Machinaka Nigiwai Project, aimed at giving the shopping district a new landmark and boosting local tourism.
Backers don’t just get the warm feeling of supporting their city — there are tangible rewards on offer depending on how much you contribute. Everyone who participates receives a thank-you letter or certificate, a name listing on the project’s dedicated website, and limited original merchandise. Pledge ¥50,000 or more and your name (or company name) gets engraved directly onto the statue’s base plaque — a genuinely lasting piece of Kumamoto. The top tier at ¥300,000 also includes a commemorative Kumamon trophy.
Here’s a summary of the contribution tiers:
| Amount | Availability | Rewards |
|---|---|---|
| ¥5,000 | Open | Thank-you letter / certificate, website name listing, limited original goods |
| ¥10,000 | Open | As above |
| ¥30,000 | Open | As above |
| ¥50,000 | First 50 backers | As above + name/company engraved on base plaque |
| ¥100,000 | First 30 backers | As above + name/company engraved on base plaque |
| ¥300,000 | First 4 backers | As above + commemorative Kumamon trophy |
The campaign runs from 11 May to 31 August 2026. Whether you’re a long-term resident who wants your name woven into the fabric of the city, or a Kumamon superfan looking for a meaningful way to connect with Kumamoto, this is a rare chance to be part of something permanent. If exploring Kumamoto’s One Piece statues has shown anything, it’s that well-placed public art becomes a genuine drawcard for visitors and locals alike.
For general enquiries, contact the Kumamoto City Central Shopping Street Federation at chushoukyou@gmail.com. For questions about the crowdfunding process itself, reach株式会社グローカル・クラウドファンディング (Glocal Crowdfunding Co., Ltd.) at 096-201-1851 or support@glocal-cf.com.
Source: Kumamoto Tourism Topics
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