This Summer is the Kintalo. Festival! Kintalo. Appointed as the Image Character for satonoka's Summer Live Broadcasts!

Nippon Digital Delivery Inc. (Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, President and CEO: Mie Kanai) broadcasts live coverage of festivals and fireworks from across Japan every summer on its regional information channel "satonoka 4K/TV" (Ch. 420/401 on CATV, etc.).

We are pleased to announce that comedian Kintalo. has been appointed as the summer image character.

Kintalo. is known for facial expressions like "Dossun" as a mimicry artist, but their high impact and polished execution are popular, with their Nebuta festival makeup posts going viral on social media.

Beyond makeup, Kintalo. has a connection to festivals across Japan, having actually visited the Nebuta Festival in Aomori City and participated in the Awa Odori in Tokushima.

There are many commonalities between satonoka's live broadcasts of festivals and fireworks from across Japan and Kintalo.'s routines. This shared desire to liven up Japanese festivals led to this image character appointment.

In 2026, we will deliver a series of announcements for satonoka's summer live broadcasts under the title "satonoka Kintalo. Festival." This time, Kintalo. has taken on the personas of Nebuta Festival, Awa Odori, and Samba. Please enjoy Kintalo. in each of these roles through our broadcasts. The videos will be available on satonoka broadcasts and our official YouTube account.

Additionally, Kintalo. is scheduled to participate in the actual Nebuta Festival for program recording on satonoka. Please look forward to that as well!

Enjoy Japan's festivals with satonoka's live broadcasts and Kintalo.'s highly polished mimicry!

Kintalo.: "I think the best part of festivals is everyone working together."

-- What led you to make festivals a part of your routine?

It's similar to the famous mountaineer's saying, "Because the mountain is there." The very simple reason was, "I thought it looked similar, so I tried it." It looked so alike that I thought I'd give it a go.

-- What kind of trial and error was involved in developing it as a routine?

When I first started the Nebuta routine, I hadn't seen the real festival live, so I imagined it and expanded on the idea. It started with the thought, "The faces are huge and must be very powerful." Then I wondered how to express that dynamism. To convey the power, I decided to focus just on the face.

There's no special float for Nebuta (laughs), so at first, I tried riding a cart used at a home improvement store, but it was too deep and left too much empty space. I struggled greatly with how to create the impact of a large face. After trying various things, I arrived at the current style of hiding my body with black cloth and expressing everything with just my face.

-- Do you personally like festivals?

Yes, I do. I'm from Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture, and we have a big festival there called the Okazaki Castle Town Ieyasu Summer Festival. Since childhood, I've been familiar with carrying portable shrines and shouting "Wasshoi! Wasshoi!" at shrine festivals. I think the best part of festivals is everyone working together. You can open up to people you don't normally talk to, or find out that someone who seems very quiet is actually quite spirited (laughs). That makes you think about how to interact with them going forward (laughs).

-- Do you have any particular feelings about the festivals satonoka will be broadcasting live this year?

I first saw the Nebuta Festival about four years ago, shortly after giving birth, when I had work in Aomori. There was a mini Nebuta at the station. I wasn't wearing makeup then, but I took a selfie, and it went viral on social media. I thought, "It really does look alike," and started incorporating it into my routine. By the way, someone commented on the Nebuta video, "It looks like Dossun too," and I remembered being told that in college, so I tried it later. That also went viral.

For Awa Odori, I had a connection from a previous show I did in Tokushima called "Smile Kintalo." After becoming independent from my agency in 2024, I was invited to "Come to Awa Odori?" Since then, I've been invited every year, so we have a continuing connection.

-- This year, you will actually be participating in the Nebuta Festival for satonoka's program recording.

It takes a lot of courage to go alone in this makeup for personal reasons, so I was hoping to go for work. That way, I can go with this face (Nebuta makeup) openly (laughs).

-- Is there anything you're looking forward to?

Last year, when I went for location shooting, I had miso ramen with milk in it (Note: Aomori's local noodle dish, Miso Curry Milk Ramen). It was incredibly delicious and addictive. I want to go eat that again.

Also, I hope it doesn't rain. Actually, it rained the year I first saw Nebuta, so I had to wear a plastic cover to protect it from the rain. This year, I want to see the Nebuta as it is.

-- Please give a message to those who will be watching the live broadcast.

I hope that by watching this live broadcast, you will feel the spirit of Japanese festivals and be inspired to think, "Maybe I should go," or "I want to see it live."

<Live Broadcast Program Overview>

◆Feature Name: Nippon satonoka Summer Live Broadcast

◆Live Broadcast Schedule

1. "19th Calligraphy Performance Koshien": August 2nd (Sun) 8:45 AM - 6:00 PM

The "Calligraphy Performance Koshien" held in the "City of Paper," the No. 1 paper-producing city in Japan, in Shikokuchuo City, Ehime Prefecture. High school students, pouring their feelings into each stroke, create works of art in 6 minutes set to music.

2. "Nagaoka Festival Grand Fireworks Display 2026": August 3rd (Mon) 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM

One of Japan's leading fireworks displays, held annually on August 2nd and 3rd in Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture.

Approximately 20,000 fireworks will be launched, including the large 3-shaku tama. We will broadcast live coverage of the evening of August 3rd.

3. "Aomori Nebuta Festival 2026": August 5th (Wed) 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM

The "Aomori Nebuta Festival," a Japanese fire festival. For six days from August 2nd to 7th each year, it ignites the short summer nights of Aomori.

We will broadcast live coverage of the evening parade on August 5th.

4. "2026 Awa Odori": August 15th (Sat) 7:00 PM - 10:30 PM

We will broadcast live coverage of the Awa Odori festival held in Tokushima City.

Please enjoy the festival, where the beautiful dancers and the lively rhythms of the musicians fill the streets of Tokushima with excitement.

5. "41st Asakusa Samba Carnival Parade Contest": August 29th (Sat) 1:00 PM - 5:30 PM

We will deliver powerful live video of the gorgeous dances and music, reminiscent of the Rio Carnival, along with the excitement of the venue.

<satonoka 4K/TV> (Cable TV Ch. 420/401, etc.) https://www.satonoka.jp/

A regional information channel originating from cable TV, broadcasting the charm of regions across Japan 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

satonoka means "the scent of home (sato)," and the channel features programs that are closely tied to the local community, as only cable TV can provide.

"You're sure to discover Japanese charms and fresh regional information you never knew existed!"

Number of households able to view: 3.72 million (as of June 1, 2026)

<How to Watch satonoka 4K/TV>

You can watch by subscribing to a cable TV station that offers "satonoka 4K" and "satonoka TV" and installing a dedicated digital tuner in your home. To watch "satonoka 4K" in 4K, you will need a 4K compatible tuner and a 4K compatible TV. (On J:COM, Ch. 420 is satonoka 4K).

"satonoka TV" offers the same content as satonoka 4K, but in HD.

For detailed viewing methods and a list of cable TV stations where it is available, please refer to the following:

https://www.satonoka.jp/list/

<About Nippon Digital Delivery Inc.> https://www.jdserve.co.jp

Established in April 2000. Centered on Japan's first digital broadcasting distribution service for cable TV, we have worked to promote the digitalization of the cable TV industry. Currently, we distribute CS digital broadcasting, BS digital broadcasting, etc., using terrestrial optical networks to cable TV operators nationwide. Since fiscal year 2023, we have utilized the same network to provide "Live Viewing Service Oshii," which offers live entertainment nationwide, and launched the "satonoka Project" as an initiative to revitalize regions under the slogan "Connecting and being connected by the charm of the region." In addition, we provide a wide range of operational support that leads to problem-solving and service expansion for cable TV operators, including the VOD platform "Miru Plus" and ID solution services.