At a shopping street in Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture, which is visited by many tourists, a popular local character, “Hiko-nyan,” sprinkled water in an attempt to survive the heat wave.
At the Yumekyobashi shopping arcade near Hikone Castle in Hikone City, they hold a traditional sprinkling of water to help visitors feel a little cooler.
On the 31st, which was the first uchimizu in three years due to the influence of the new coronavirus, the popular character "Hiko-nyan" appeared and sprinkled water on the cobbled sidewalk with a ladle with the people of the shopping district.
Hikone City on the 31st was a hot day with temperatures exceeding 35 degrees Celsius, but every time Hikonyan deftly sprinkled water, the tourists cheered and applauded, saying, "It's good!"
A 1st grade boy from Osaka said, "It was the first time I saw Hiko-nyan sprinkling water.
Hisako Wakamiya, who runs a tsukudani shop in the shopping district, also sprinkled water in front of the shop, saying, "I've been sprinkling water in the morning and evening for decades. It's hot from the morning today, but when I sprinkle the water, the temperature is about 1 degree. I'm continuing because it seems that the price will go down."
In this shopping district, every day until the 23rd of next month, each store will be uchimizu.