A municipal fan club is revamped with NFT membership cards, enabling communication, community and analytics
Media Equity Inc., which operates HEXA, one of Japan's largest NFT marketplaces, is partnering with the Ishioka City Tourism Association in Ibaraki Prefecture and Tobu Top Tours Co., Ltd. to begin selling the "Ishioka Fan Club NFT" on HEXA on April 1, 2026. It is a digital membership card that turns the "Ishioka Fan Club membership card," until now issued as a paper card, into an NFT.
By turning a municipal fan club's membership card into an NFT, this initiative strengthens ongoing ties with members and creates a new mechanism for regional revitalization in partnership with local businesses.
With conventional paper membership cards, opportunities to send information to members and to create interaction were limited, and costs such as printing and mailing were an issue. Replacing them with NFT membership cards solves these issues and creates a mechanism for developing the relationship between the municipality and its members on a more ongoing basis.
Main benefits of NFT membership cards
(1) Ongoing communication with members
Through the NFT membership card, event information, tourism information, local news and more can be sent out on an ongoing basis, making it possible to maintain and strengthen relationships with fan club members over the long term.
(2) Community building among members
An online community limited to NFT membership card holders can be formed, enabling interaction among fans of the region and two-way communication with the municipality. This promotes the formation of a local community that goes beyond a simple membership program.
(3) Lower printing and mailing costs
The printing, mailing and other costs that were needed to issue paper membership cards are no longer required, allowing municipalities and operators to run a sustainable membership program.
(4) Perks can be expanded and updated
Because it is a digital membership card, perks can be added or changed flexibly, and it is also possible to build a system in which the benefits grow the longer a card is held.
(5) New revenue returned through the secondary market
NFT membership cards can be resold (transferred) on HEXA, and when a resale takes place, 10% of the sale price is returned to the issuer (the municipality, etc.). This creates a new mechanism in which fans support the region by buying and selling membership cards.
(6) Usage logs can be collected and analyzed
Because NFT membership cards are managed digitally, it becomes possible to collect usage logs showing which perks were used, at which local shops they were used and which members are taking part in which initiatives.
This allows the municipality to analyze the effectiveness of its fan club initiatives and use the results for more effective regional revitalization measures.
Partnership with local shops
For the "Ishioka Fan Club NFT," about 50 shops in the city are taking part as perk providers, and holders can receive perks by showing their NFT membership card.
This is expected to give fan club members more opportunities to use local shops and to help revitalize the local economy.
What's next
Going forward, exclusively for NFT membership card holders,
- Tasting events for new products
- Monitor tours (trial tours for feedback)
- Special offers for local events
- High-rank NFT membership cards
and other higher-value member perks are also being considered.
Through the NFT membership card, fans of the region are expected to take part as a "digital related population" — related population meaning people who maintain an ongoing connection to a region without living there — and so help raise the region's value.
About the sale of the Ishioka Fan Club Digital Member NFT
Price: ¥1,000 each
Quantity: 1,000
Sale method: First-come, first-served sale
Sales period: From April 1, 2026
Eligibility: Anyone living outside the city or outside the prefecture who is interested in Ishioka City
https://nft.hexanft.com/nftmaticmulti/863
About HEXA, the NFT marketplace
HEXA is one of Japan's largest NFT marketplaces, offering a simple system that requires no crypto-assets and supports payment in Japanese yen. It provides an environment where NFTs can be used as "practical digital tools," building an ecosystem in which a wide range of issuers, including artists, companies and municipalities, can use NFTs with confidence.
How NFT issuance works: https://hexanft.com/issuermanual/
Apply to issue NFTs here: https://nft.hexanft.com/issue