The Gunma-based married VTuber duo “PeakyHikers” will team up with 20 participating facilities in Ikaho Onsen and TORECO to launch “Peaky Hikers x Ikaho Onsen TORECO Collection,” a stamp-rally-style project in which fans tour the hot spring town while collecting limited collaboration cards, starting Saturday, June 20, 2026. Each card costs 300 yen (tax included) and is limited to 500 per facility — an experiential collaboration that turns oshi-katsu (cheering on a favorite creator) into a reason to walk the hot spring streets.

Limited collaboration cards to collect across all 20 facilities

This project sells a different PeakyHikers collaboration TORECO card at each of the 20 facilities in Ikaho Onsen — inns, restaurants, souvenir shops, sightseeing spots and more. Each card features Meiro and Alpina of PeakyHikers traveling around Ikaho Onsen, set against backdrops of each facility’s exterior, signature offerings and interior atmosphere.

Collecting the cards requires actually visiting each facility, but since the cards can be purchased on their own without staying overnight or dining, the project gives fans and tourists an easy reason to stroll through the hot spring town. Each card costs 300 yen (tax included) and is limited to 500 per facility, ending as soon as they sell out. Of the 500 cards at each facility, 20 are special holographic “kira” cards.

Complete bonuses and a lottery through TORECO app integration

By registering the serial code printed on each card in the TORECO smartphone app, users can also manage their collection digitally. Collecting cards from 10 or more facilities in the app unlocks entry to the “Ikaho Onsen Gara-Gara Lottery,” with prizes provided by Ikaho Onsen facilities and organizations.

In addition, complete bonuses are offered according to the number of facilities collected. The “Matsu (Pine)” tier for collecting all 20 facilities comes with an original towel, a complete-bonus TORECO card and a 2,000-yen gift voucher usable in Ikaho Onsen, limited to the first 50 sets; the 15-facility “Take (Bamboo)” tier is limited to the first 150 sets, and the 10-facility “Ume (Plum)” tier to the first 200 sets, in a tiered reward structure.

About 60 banners on the Stone Step Street, with panels planned throughout

From the project’s start on Saturday, June 20, around 60 PeakyHikers collaboration banners are planned to line Ikaho’s famous Stone Step Street. A life-size panel is also planned at the Shibukawa Ikaho Onsen Tourism Association, with mini-character panels set up at each participating facility.

Beyond collecting cards, visitors can enjoy hunting for banners and panels as they walk the hot spring town and taking commemorative photos — rolling out as an on-site, tour-style collaboration.

Who are PeakyHikers, the No.1 “local VTuber”?

PeakyHikers are a Gunma-based married VTuber duo made up of Meiro and Alpina. Built on three pillars — Gunma, theater and agriculture — they post videos and stream mainly on YouTube, visiting tourist destinations, hot spring areas, local culture and farms across Gunma Prefecture in person to share them.

In a popularity poll run by Netlab titled “Local VTubers you’d recommend to people from other prefectures,” they took first place. In 2025 they sold 6.3 tons of rice they had helped produce as PeakyHikers within a single week — one of several efforts connecting VTuber activity with their local community and agriculture. As of June 2026, their YouTube channel has 52,600 subscribers and over 7,000,000 total views.

Future plans

On the PeakyHikers YouTube channel, videos related to this project are scheduled for release in early and mid-June. The videos will introduce the participating Ikaho Onsen facilities and the appeal of the collaboration card project. Since card sales end at each facility once they sell out, it is worth planning a visit to coincide with the video releases.

Our take

Rather than “buy a card and you’re done,” the design gets people to actually walk the hot spring town through the process of collecting — a form of regional contribution unique to local VTubers. A flow that channels the passion of oshi-katsu into real spending such as on-site visits, lodging and dining is a highly cost-effective way for tourist destinations to draw visitors. As a strong example of fans’ footsteps moving the local economy, it will be worth watching whether the model spreads to other hot spring areas and municipalities.

Source: PR TIMES