It’s not easy being a regional mascot, which is something the wild otter known as Chiitan now knows all too well. Chiitan originally came on board as PR mascot for Susaki City due to a real otter’s popularity, and she went to work alongside the …Read more »
Cities, prefectures, public facilities—name a place, and it’s more than likely Japan has a mascot for it. There are a reported 1,157 of these mascots, known in Japan as “yuru-kyara,” and they’ve just faced off in a yearly competition. After a hard struggle, Unari-kun, who …Read more »
Here’s an absolutely adorable waste of your time for this Monday. As you are no doubt aware, Japan is rife with mascot characters, many of whom are big and cuddly. This is generally a good thing, but can prove a problem when these characters attempt …Read more »
Fairy Tail 's Happy. You know the ones. Those anime and manga characters where you can’t help thinking, “man, that is some high-level kawaii.” If you’ve ever wondered if your taste in cute mascot characters – be they animal, fairy, robot, god, whatever – matches …Read more »
Nagasaki, the city in southern Japan famous for its steep residential streets, has adopted a new tactic to encourage tourism: moe. In the style of KanColle , in which navy ships are represented by cute anthropomorphized girls, Nagasaki community development group Modal has given each …Read more »
Not too long ago we reported about the Japanese phenomenon that is the yuru-kyara, mascots that represent a town, municipality, prefecture… you name it, there’s a fuzzy, usually entirely unprofitable character to represent it. One exception might be Funassyi, the extremely popular character representing Funabashi …Read more »
We reported recently most of Japan’s local mascots, aimed at promoting prefectures and towns throughout the country, aren’t really worth their cost, causing the Ministry of Finance to make some serious cuts in mascot budgeting. One exception might be Kumamon, the lovable bear created to …Read more »
Japan has a mascot problem. Sure, the country’s sported adorable characters for everything from the police to construction sites for, well, centuries, some would argue, but the latest trend is local governments creating mascots to represent their town. Called yuru-kyara, these mascots are supposed to …Read more »
Joseph Luster
Matt Schley
