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Tour Offers Chance to Meet Gloomy Bear Creator, Pierrot

Digital Manga's Pop Japan Travel is offering a new tour to Japan next year, with a meeting with the creator of the Gloomy Bear character and a visit to the anime studio Pierrot. The second annual Cold Steel Tour begin in Tokyo with a meeting with Mori Chack, the graphic designer behind Gloomy Bear, Kumakikai, Podolly, and other grotesque yet cute mascot characters. The tour will then go to Pierrot, the studio that has animated Bleach, Naruto, Blue Dragon, and Yū Yū Hakusho. The tour's other stops include the cultural landmark Kamakura and the Tokyo shopping districts of Akihabara, Shibuya, and Harajuku. There is an optional extension to the northern island of Hokkaido for the Sapporo Snow Festival.