Besides cute plushies, Japan is home to many cute mascots called Yuru Chara. Yuru Chara often promotes a product or a region in Japan. The local government of the region designs the mascot in a way that it will represent the livelihood, culture and the famous spots of the region.
According to a cultural expert, a yuru chara must meet these requirements:
1. It must convey a strong message of love for one's hometown or local region
2. The character's movements or behaviour should be unique and unstable or awkward
3. The character should be unsophisticated or laid-back (yurui) and lovable
Most mascots are simple enough and easy to recognize. They are often found roaming around the streets of the local region they represent. They are also found at tourist spots and can be seen with lots of children around them. Tourism offices in Japan use these mascots to promote their regions.
Check out these cool mascots which you might see around town!
Funnassyi - Funabashi, Chiba’s own mascot was created in 2011. It is one of the most popular yuru chara in Japan and in the world.
Kumamon - He is the mascot of the Kumamoto Prefecture. Kumamon is a wide hit in the Kyushu are and was able to sell about 100 billion yen worth of merchandise.
Hikonyan - Hikonyan was born in Hikone, Japan in 2007 to commemorate the 400th year of the Hikone Castle.
In 2010, a Yuru Chara Grand Prix was created wherein the public votes who is the most popular among all mascots in Japan. Almost 1727 mascots participated during the 2015 Yuru Chara Grand Prix. These cute mascots also have gained 2 Guinness World Records including the Largest Mascot Dance and Largest Gathering of Mascots. 134 mascots danced together in the Huis Ten Bosch Theme Park in 2013 and 376 mascots were present during the 4th annual Yuru Chara summit in Hanyu, Saitama in the same year.
If ever you see a yuru chara around Japan, be sure to take a selfie!
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