Officials in Minamiechizen, Fukui Prefecture, are accepting applications from "cosplay" aficionados for the town's third annual dress-up photo shoot.
The one-day event, to be held this year on June 8 at the town's "seiyokan," or Western-style house, is intended to boost tourism. The house, built as a villa in 1935, is listed as one of the country's tangible cultural properties.
The seiyokan was built by the Ukon family, owners of commercial ships that sailed around Japan, stopping at ports around the Seto Inland Sea from the Edo Period into the Meiji Era. Now owned by the town, the house features brown Spanish roof tiles and a balcony overlooking the Sea of Japan. Inside, a fireplace, chandelier and piano give the hall a classy atmosphere.