Aoi Nizato

Aoi Nīzato (新里 あおい) is a new characters appearing in Non Non Biyori Vacation Movie. She is a first-year middle schooler and a member of her school's badminton club. She reappeared in Non Non Biyori Nonstop OVA.

Background
Aoi is a daughter of the hostess in an Okinawan hotel who helps with a lot of the hotel tasks.

Chronology
Aoi becomes friends with Natsumi Koshigaya due to being the same age and interest in the sport.

Etymology

 * Aoi's surname Nīzato means "fresh, new" (新) (nī) and "village" (里) (sato/zato).
 * While it is the 19th most common surname in Okinawa, it is sort of rare in other regions (the 1232nd most common surname in whole Japan).

Trivia

 * Aoi likes playing Badminton.
 * Aoi does not appear in the manga. Reiko Yoshida, the screenwriter of the movie, created her for the movie, and Atto, the author of the manga, designed her appearance.
 * Aoi talks with an Okinawan accent. More specifically, the intonation she speaks is Okinawa-specific though the words she uses are almost the same as the standard Japanese. Her voice actress Shino Shimoji was born and grew up in Okinawa and can speak with a native Okinawan accent. Her act in the accent was praised by other actors and the production staff.