SOBETSU, Hokkaido--Hatsune Miku, the Sapporo-born “digital diva,” struggled to gain fandom when she was launched abroad.

But a German resident of this northern town played a key role in taking the virtual idol to such heights that she “costarred” with Lady Gaga, a real-world diva of global renown.

Hatsune Miku, with her signature turquoise pigtails and big eyes reminiscent of a girls’ manga heroine, won instant popularity in Japan as soon as she debuted in 2007.

Miku, a Vocaloid singing-synthesizer software product, is designed to allow for free creation of derivative works.

The fictional character triggered a chain of “peer production,” whereby Hatsune Miku songs posted by online users were reposted by others with illustrations and videos to accompany them.

Cosima Oka-Doerge, 43, a German national who resides in Sobetsu, Hokkaido, began participating in the Miku project after she moved to Sapporo and landed a job with Crypton Future Media Inc., the Miku developer, based in Sapporo’s Chuo Ward.

Oka-Doerge was named the company's U.S./EU marketing manager in 2013.

Miku’s popularity in Western countries, however, lagged behind that in Japan, possibly in part because of her girlish look, which put some people off.

Oka-Doerge, one of the two U.S./EU marketing managers with the firm, decided to promote Miku not as a character but, instead, as a fusion of technology and a social hub.

Miku’s overseas recognition subsequently began to rise. Opportunities for Miku’s media exposure on center stage, such as collaborations with fashion brands, also grew in number.

“It is my strong point that I can serve as sort of a cultural interpreter on the basis of broader understanding, including on the cultural front,” Oka-Doerge said. “And that is what I had previously studied.”

Oka-Doerge said her father, who was a concert violinist, once brought back souvenirs from Japan for her when she was very young after visiting the country on a tour.

She thought that fabrics that evoked kimono looked attractive. And her father’s accounts of his experiences in Japan also sounded enchanting.

“All I remember about that is that I developed a great passion for Japan,” she said.

Oka-Doerge studied about Japan at a German university before coming to attend a university in Kyoto in 2004. Following a return to her home country, she studied at a graduate school in London before moving to Japan.

Oka-Doerge helped kick-start a Hatsune Miku Expo world tour series one year into her stint as a Miku promoter. She also realized collaborations with top-name personalities, including U.S. TV talk show host David Letterman.

Miku appeared in the opening act at every concert, during Lady Gaga’s 2014 U.S. tour, to warm up the audience. 

Oka-Doerge still remembers what Lady Gaga told her at the time. She cited the superstar as saying that she liked the way that Miku allowed everyone to become connected through the virtual creation.

“I have enjoyed the global world to my heart’s content,” Oka-Doerge said.

In addition, conversations with Crypton Future Media’s president helped her develop a new interest in the love for local communities and the fun of the countryside.

VOLUNTEERING TO PROMOTE SOBETSU

Oka-Doerge currently serves as migration and public relations adviser for the town of Sobetsu, which she extolls as having world-class beauty.

Sobetsu officials initially assumed she would assist, for example, with work at a central government-designated roadside rest area, but she asked to be appointed to do promotion work.

And her request was granted.

Oka-Doerge worked with fellow townsfolk to choose “Stunning! Sobetsu” as the town’s catchphrase and select a corresponding logo.

She also had the official Sobetsu website redone and set up an informational website for potential residents to the town. The Sobetsu government’s Facebook account now has a follower count more than 20 times larger than the local population.

“We owe all that to our dear friends and colleagues in our community, who have supported us,” Oka-Doerge said.

She has been helping the Sobetsu authorities for nearly 10 years: two years and seven months as a “local vitalization cooperator,” under a national framework, and seven years as a migration and public relations adviser. But her stint is ending in March.

“I am so grateful for what you have achieved during all this time,” Sobetsu Mayor Toshiya Tanabe told Oka-Doerge when he met her in the mayor’s office at the end of 2024.

“I hope to remain involved in Sobetsu’s promotion, partly to repay the town’s support,” Oka-Doerge replied with a smile.

She said her next goal is to have an accommodations business, which she is //helping to run// in Sapporo, expanded to Sobetsu to create opportunities for enjoying activities and a venue for connecting people in the community.

“I hope to continue working with my colleagues to spread the word about Sobetsu’s virtues to the world,” Oka-Doerge said.