HEXA, one of Japan's largest NFT marketplaces, is partnering with Tobu Top Tours Co., Ltd. (led by its president) and Cherry Land Sagae Co., Ltd. (led by its president) to issue the Yamagata Maiko Premium Card NFTs, 11 designs in all.
Built around sharing maiko culture from many angles, this initiative aims to blend it with local industry, make use of digital technology and raise its value as a tourism resource. By introducing digital technology, starting with turning the "Yamagata Maiko Card" into NFTs, it will create new ways to experience maiko culture.
You can receive a Yamagata Maiko Premium Card NFT by scanning the claim QR code enclosed with the Yamagata specialty sweet "Sakuranbo no Tamago." "Sakuranbo no Tamago" is an original Cherry Land Sagae product developed jointly with Saito Seika of Iwate Prefecture, and has been a long-selling item for 25 years since its launch in 2000. It is an original sweet of mellow egg-yolk bean paste wrapped in "cherry chocolate," and it is sold only at the Sagae Cherry Land roadside station (michi-no-eki).
In addition, the exclusive community that only NFT holders can enter is planned to offer activity reports and announcements from the Yamagata Maiko, short movies of the maiko, live streams (a few minutes long) during events and more. If you would like to know more about the Yamagata Maiko or are curious about them, please pick one up.
What's more, each "Sakuranbo no Tamago" includes one of the 11 Yamagata Maiko Premium Cards. Among them, the Special Card comes with bonus footage, such as behind-the-scenes looks at photo shoots that you can't normally see.
Preview video for the Special Card
About "Sakuranbo no Tamago" with a Yamagata Maiko Premium Card NFT
Release date August 8, 2025 (Fri), 10:00 (planned)
Product name Sakuranbo no Tamago
Contents Box of 8, box of 12
<About the Yamagata Maiko Premium Card NFT>
https://nft.hexanft.com/users/YBdD54wo9zvIva
About the Yamagata Maiko
Yamagata City has a geigi (geisha) culture that dates back to the Meiji era. Geigi are professionals who entertain guests by enlivening banquets with dance and music. Around the start of the Heisei era (1989), the shortage of successors to geigi culture worsened and it faced a crisis of survival, but in February 1996, Yamagata Dento Geino Shinko Co., Ltd. (nicknamed "Yamagata Beni no Kai") was established to train successors, and the "Yamagata Maiko" were born. Beni no Kai marks 29 years since its founding this year, and to date 43 "Yamagata Maiko" across 15 classes have practiced Japanese dance, singing, shamisen and more day after day while performing at banquets in ryotei (traditional Japanese restaurants) and at tourism events and campaigns in Japan and abroad, working to promote tourism in Yamagata. "Yamagata Geiko" also belong to Beni no Kai. They are versed in all the arts, including shamisen, singing, taiko drums and Japanese dance, and maiko, geiko and geigi work side by side to liven up Yamagata.
About Cherry Land Sagae
Cherry Land Sagae Co., Ltd. (Sagae City, Yamagata Prefecture) works to share the appeal of the area's tourism, food and culture using local resources through its operation of the Sagae Cherry Land roadside station. As a tourism hub for Yamagata Prefecture, it runs a wide range of businesses that contribute to the revitalization and sustainable development of the region. The on-site shopping zone "kokocherr" sells processed products made from cherries, the local specialty, as well as Yamagata sweets, crafts, local sake and more, with a full range of seasonal items. The restaurant "Shikisaidokoro Kawazakura" serves dishes made with local ingredients, such as Yamagata beef and imoni (taro stew), with a superb view over the Sagae River. Going forward, it will continue to draw on the nature, food and culture unique to Sagae City and share the region's appeal from many angles, aiming to be "a place with new discoveries on every visit" and "a place where you can feel local pride and familiarity."
About souvenirs with NFT cards
A QR code for receiving an NFT card free of charge is enclosed with the souvenir. Buyers of the souvenir can receive the NFT card by scanning the QR code. Buyers who receive the NFT card can interact in a community limited to NFT holders and receive behind-the-scenes stories about the souvenir, exclusive local information and more. This allows the seller and the buyers of the souvenir to stay connected.
About HEXA, the NFT marketplace
A Japanese NFT marketplace where you can issue, buy and sell NFTs using Japanese yen alone. You can easily buy NFTs by credit card from a PC or smartphone. No crypto or wallet is needed at all, so you can buy, sell or issue NFTs right away. If you have a HEXA Residents NFT or a LAND NFT, you can also display the NFTs you buy in the HEXA Metaverse. HEXA also offers community features such as Web3-style online salons and fan clubs.
How NFT issuance works: https://hexanft.com/issuermanual/
Apply to issue NFTs here: https://nft.hexanft.com/issue