◎Dayan in Wachifield
This is a tale about a mysterious cat named Dayan and his friends, a group of very
unique characters. With more than 100 books in publication, and more than 1,500 categories
of merchandise, the appeal of Dayan and his friends continues to endure and grow. At
retail, the property value of Dayan is worth more than $50 million annually in Japan. Of all the merchandise, the leather products
are especially well known for their quality. Wachifield Licensing Inc. owns and manages the
factory where all the leather items are made.
Dayan has broad appeal to young children, teenage girls and adult females. Children
will relate to Dayan’s cuteness, adventures and imagination. The teens and adults are
fascinated with the series’ beautiful pictures based on Japanese nature, its witty stories
and animistic characters.
Collections of quality merchandise have been developed to satisfy the demands of
Dayan’s teenage and adult female fans in Japan, Taiwan and Korea. Leather goods,
stationary, giftware and DVDs are available at outlets and via on‐line shopping in these
territories.
Dayan’s creator, Akiko Ikeda, actively promotes her character with great energy; numerous
exhibitions are held at art galleries, department stores, and other venues all over
Japan.
Akiko’s company owns the Wachifield Museum created to represent an imaginary
Wachifield Wonderland. Displayed at these locations, are original oil paintings, dioramas
of Wachifield, dolls created in the image of Dayan’s characters, replicas of Akiko’s
workshop, and much more. These venues are very popular destinations among members of the local
community as well as being popular tourist attractions.