Atsuo fell in love with Atami, and Natsuno fell in love with Atsuo.
A lot of sightseeing destinations in Japan have their own mascot character, and the town of Atami, in Shizuoka Prefecture, is no exception. As a matter of fact, Atami’s mascot is ready to greet travelers even before they’ve exited Atami Station.
With Japan’s love of cute characters, cuddly animals and fashionable young ladies are the most common mascot motifs, and looking at the above photo panel, you might assume that the kimono-clad woman on the right is Atami’s illustrated tourism ambassador. In actuality, though, it’s the combover-sporting gentleman on the left who fills that role.
According to his backstory, Atsuo, the official spokescharacter for the Atami Hot Spring Hotel and Ryokan Association, was once a young salaryman. One day, his company took an employee trip to Atami, which is famous for its hot springs, delicious seafood, and traditional inns. Atsuo liked the town so much that even when his coworkers headed back to the office, he, just, stayed in Atami…and he’s been there ever since.
In the in-story decades since he arrived, Atsuo has matured into a middle-aged man, but his daily baths in Atami’s hot spring waters have kept his skin remarkably youthful and shiny, even as his hair has thinned. Dressed in a yukata robe of the kind provided by traditional inns for guests to slip into after getting out of the bath, he also sports a neatly trimmed mustache. Oh, and he’s somehow become a fairy while living in Atami too, as he has a pair of gossamer wings sprouting from his back.
Though he may not fit into the conventional mascot mold, Atsuo has been warmly embraced by locals and visitors alike, including our Japanese-language reporter Natsuno Futon, who encountered him for the first time on a recent family trip to Atami. He’s got the associated line of character goods you’d expect for a proper mascot character, sharing shelf space with such luminaries as Pikachu and Doraemon in souvenir shops.
Atsuo’s profile lists his hobbies as taking hot spring baths, showing people around Atami, and generally helping out tourists who need a hand. His laidback but thoughtful aura quickly charmed Natsuno and her elementary school-age daughters, and before heading home at the end of their trip, they picked up some Atsuo merch, selecting a plushie, stickers, and terrycloth bath turban.
Natsuno’s kids were especially excited about the stickers, since puffy ones like these are booming in popularity right now in Japan.
▼ Each one has a little message, like “Thank you,” “Sorry!”, “Hang in there,” or “Get well soon.”
Each time Natsuno spotted Atsuo around town, her fondness for the character grew and grew, and by the time she and her family were headed to the station to catch a Shinkansen bullet train home, they’d become dedicated fans.
Just how dedicated? In front of Atami Station they came across a QR code that you can scan to take AR pictures with Atsuo…
…and they ended up having so much fun that they missed the train they’d been planning to get on, and had to hop on the next one half an hour later.
To be honest, Natsuno isn’t usually the type of person who treats mascot characters like a member of her traveling party, but Atsuo had earned a spot as part of the group, so they toasted him on their ride home.
He may not be the typical mascot, but he’s now definitely one of her favorites.
Photos ©SoraNews24
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