Hokkaido Prefecture, as part of a larger promotional campaign intended to present itself as a modern, globally minded place with an eye on the future, has selected the world famous Japanese virtual pop idol Hatsune Miku as its official PR character.

Along with this announcement the promotional campaign’s new theme song, which is, not surprisingly, sung by Miku, was also unveiled.

The new song is called “Mirai no Kaze Sono Saki no Michi e,” or roughly translated “The Wind of the Future Onward to the Road Beyond.” The title of this song is inspired by Hokkaido’s new catch phrase “Sono saki no michi e, Hokkaido,” which roughly translates to “Onward to the road beyond, Hokkaido.” The song, much like the entire promotional campaign, is about how Hokkaido embraces the natural beauty that it is known for, while at the same time being unafraid to look towards the future. Check out the song below.





In addition to the new song, an official illustration, featuring Hatsune Miku was also unveiled. The illustration, which can be seen below, shows Hatsune Miku, looking up at the Hokkaido sky as the first snow of the year falls. It too is meant to symbolize “looking towards the future and the road beyond.”

The Season of First Snow (hatsuyuki no kisetsu) by Mao-san

Source: Official Hokkaido Prefecture website

Does this mean that Hokkaido will be getting a lot more live performances by Vocaloid idol? That remains to be seen. However, it seems likely that all the Hatsune Miku fans in Hokkaido are hoping that this turns out to be the case.

Source: Netorabo