(NEWS) TOKYO, Japan, 2026-May-26 — /Travel PR News/ — Anime cafés, themed pop-up stores, collectible merchandise, and character-driven exhibitions have become a major force within Japan’s domestic tourism economy. What was once considered a niche fan subculture has evolved into a powerful travel driver, with visitors increasingly planning trips around concerts, gaming events, manga collaborations, and immersive entertainment experiences tied to their favourite intellectual properties.
Now, Japan’s largest airline group is moving deeper into that space.
ANA HOLDINGS has announced a new investment in Tokyo-based startup ORIGRESS through its corporate venture capital platform, the ANA Future Frontier Fund. According to a press release published by ANA HOLDINGS, the partnership aims to expand “oshikatsu”-inspired travel experiences across Japan by combining ANA’s transportation network with ORIGRESS’s growing portfolio of fan-focused entertainment events.
In Japan, “oshikatsu” refers to activities connected to supporting favourite idols, anime characters, artists, sports teams, or entertainment franchises. Over the past decade, the phenomenon has become deeply woven into Japanese consumer culture, generating significant demand for themed travel, limited-edition merchandise, fan gatherings, and destination-based experiences linked to popular IP brands.
ORIGRESS specialises in transforming those fan activities into physical destination experiences. The company develops themed cafés, exhibitions, pop-up events, and branded spaces that allow visitors to engage directly with entertainment properties in immersive environments. The startup manages everything from licensing agreements and venue design to merchandise production and event operations.
ORIGRESS describes its mission as maximizing “tanoshii” — the Japanese idea of fun or joyful experience — by combining real-world encounters, entertainment, community, and personal passion. Its philosophy is closely aligned with Japan’s fast-growing fan economy, where emotional connection to anime, idols, games, VTubers, K-pop acts, celebrities, and other IP brands increasingly shapes consumer behaviour and travel decisions. Rather than treating fan activity as a purely digital or retail experience, ORIGRESS focuses on turning fandom into physical destinations, shared memories, and commercial opportunities for venues, restaurants, entertainment facilities, and regional tourism partners.
Founded in April 2021 and based in Shinagawa, Tokyo, ORIGRESS has built a group structure spanning IP collaborations, themed cafés, nationwide exhibitions, fan appreciation events, character shows, merchandise production, YouTube content, e-commerce, pilgrimage-style fan media, subscription-style entertainment passes, and creative talent services. The company also holds a Type 2 Travel Agency registration in Japan, giving it a clearer link to destination-based fan travel. This makes the startup a particularly relevant partner for ANA HOLDINGS, as its business model sits directly at the intersection of aviation, pop culture, local experiences, digital commerce, and Japan’s growing demand for real-world fan-driven tourism.
For ANA, the investment reflects a broader strategy increasingly pursued by airlines in Asia: expanding beyond transportation into lifestyle, entertainment, and experiential travel sectors capable of generating new revenue streams while strengthening passenger engagement.
Airlines globally have spent years building loyalty ecosystems around travel itself, but Japanese carriers in particular are increasingly exploring partnerships tied to culture, technology, gaming, and tourism experiences. The goal is not simply to transport passengers, but to become integrated into the wider journey surrounding why people travel in the first place.
The partnership also aligns with wider efforts to encourage tourism dispersal across Japan beyond Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. Pop culture tourism has emerged as an especially effective tool for driving visitation to regional cities and secondary destinations, where anime collaborations, gaming events, concerts, and themed attractions can generate significant domestic and international travel demand.
Across Japan, destinations have increasingly embraced fan tourism as part of local economic development strategies. Rural towns and regional cities now regularly collaborate with anime studios, gaming companies, and entertainment brands to attract visitors through temporary exhibitions, themed trains, character tourism campaigns, and location-based experiences tied to films and television series.
By combining ANA’s domestic network with ORIGRESS’s entertainment partnerships, the companies appear positioned to tap directly into that growing market for fandom-driven travel.
The investment was made through the ANA Future Frontier Fund, launched in 2024 with an 8 billion yen fund dedicated to emerging technologies and new business sectors. The fund focuses on areas ranging from next-generation mobility and sustainable aviation to AI, robotics, fintech, and digital customer experiences.
The addition of fan-focused tourism and entertainment partnerships highlights how travel demand itself is evolving, particularly among younger generations seeking experiences tied more closely to personal interests, online communities, and cultural identity.
For Japan’s tourism sector, that trend has become increasingly valuable. Anime, gaming, music, and entertainment tourism now contribute significantly to both domestic and inbound travel, particularly as international visitors seek experiences connected to globally recognised Japanese pop culture franchises.
As airlines compete to diversify revenues beyond ticket sales alone, investments like ANA’s partnership with ORIGRESS suggest that the future of travel may increasingly be shaped not only by destinations, but by the communities, fandoms, and cultural experiences motivating people to travel there.
