Ikaru Seijin, a character created to promote tourism in Hakodate, Hokkaido, poses with three tourists in front of JR Hakodate Station in this recent photo. The character has been returned to service after a three-month hiatus following the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami. New anime shorts featuring the squid-like alien character with a disaster recovery theme have also been posted on the Internet.The previous Ikaru Seijin movies, which included scenes of urban destruction, were pulled after the earthquake out of consideration for disaster-hit parts of Japan.
Hakodate City is located in the southeast area of Oshima Peninsula. The peninsula is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and Tsugaru Channel from the east, south and north. The western side of the peninsula includes the towns of Kamiiso-cho, Nanae-cho and Shikabe-cho.