Enlightening clips show just how hard it is to do the simplest things when you’re a mascot.
Mascots (Page 3)
Organizers find a way to let vision-impaired kids express their opinion of which of the adorable characters best represents Japan.
These six mascots take their inspiration from sakura cherry blossoms, shrines, and Japanese fairy tales.
The city’s subway operator can’t decide whether their mascot should look like a muppet or a sexy service manager.
The cute character bares his pecs in the fight against stranger danger, where children are told to remember the words “Squid Sushi” to protect them from harm.
With her own official Twitter account and a town in Tottori Prefecture behind her, Japan’s first ever cannabis character comes dressed as a pink-haired shrine maiden.
Call me old fashioned but I remember when mascots were meant to be cute, not demons spawned by human weakness or yam ninjas.
Over the weekend, a fight broke out between two mascots who have a well-documented history of bad blood.
The “K.R.T. Girls”, moe mascots fronting the line for Taiwan’s Kaohsiung Rapid Transit (KRT), are no stranger on our humble website. Just recently, we saw them taking over their trains with full-length decals, and just a couple of days ago they released a new image song for one of the girls that briefly mentions a few of the stations along the subway lines.
It’s a catchy pop tune befitting of the cute, refreshing image of the mascot girls, but some Japanese netizens are saying that it sounds like a theme song for an erotic game. Give it a listen after the break!
You wouldn’t be alone in thinking that the whole “moe” phenomenon – you know, that chibi, super cute anime girl style of animation and illustration that’s all over Tokyo’s infamous Akihabara district – is a Japan-only thing. But in reality, moe has spread throughout Asia and even beyond. It seems a lot of fans are captivated by the adorable schoolgirl outfits, exaggerated mannerisms and impossibly huge eyes of these distinct animated girls.
One such region in which moe has really taken hold is Taiwan, which is so obsessed with the animation style that it’s kind of doubled down on the moe-ness, pulling ahead of even Japan’s moe obsession by plastering its subways with moe characters.
Emerging from the cocoon that was The Daily Show, John Oliver has carved out a brilliant spot for himself with his own talk show Last Week Tonight. He has produced some amazing pieces on net neutrality, Edward Snowden, the Miss America Pageant and the NCAA. Viewers tune in each week to find out what subject close to their hearts is being roasted or promoted on HBO. Japan has gotten a couple of mentions on the show before, but this past week brought the insanity that is Japanese mascots to the attention of his viewers. Surely Japan’s mastery of the subject can teach the rest of the world something.
Meet the newest mascot at Fukushima Industries! This cute, winged egg is the perfect face for a company that manufactures the kind of industrial refrigerators, blast chillers, freezers and refrigerated showcases that you might find in a restaurant or a supermarket.
The name they chose for this little egghead, though, probably needed a bit more work…
Japan’s mascot obsession is known by those even marginally familiar with the country’s culture. Characters like Hello Kitty and her signature silhouette are recognized in countries across the globe, and thanks to the wonders of the internet we’re able to learn more about other cultures than ever before. But something I find that many people don’t realize about Japan is the sheer breadth of things that get their own mascots. Take, for instance, Japanese prefectures.
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Red light district sushi restaurant in Tokyo shows us just how wrong we were about it
Japanese ramen restaurants under pressure from new yen banknotes
Akihabara pop-up shop sells goods made by Japanese prison inmates
Sandwiches fit for a sumo served up in Osaka【Taste Test】
Tokyo Tsukiji fish market site to be redeveloped with 50,000-seat stadium, hotel, shopping center
McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
Beautiful Red and Blue Star luxury trains set to be Japan’s new Hokkaido travel stars
French Fries Bread in Tokyo’s Shibuya becomes a hit on social media
Starbucks Japan adds a Motto Frappuccino to the menu for a limited time
Sakura tree falls on man at Sannenzaka near Kiyomizu temple in Kyoto 【Breaking News】
Weekly
- McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
All-you-can-drink Starbucks and amazing views part of Tokyo’s new 170 meter-high sky lounge
More foreign tourists than ever before in history visited Japan last month- Japanese ramen restaurants under pressure from new yen banknotes
- French Fries Bread in Tokyo’s Shibuya becomes a hit on social media
Studio Ghibli releases new action figures featuring Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind characters
New private rooms on Tokaido Shinkansen change the way we travel from Tokyo to Kyoto
Starbucks reopens at Shibuya Scramble Crossing with new look and design concept
Studio Ghibli glasses cases let anime characters keep an eye on your spectacles
Beautiful Ghibli sealing wax kits let you create accessories and elegant letter decorations【Pics】
Monthly
- McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
Studio Ghibli releases Kiki’s Delivery Service chocolate cake pouches in Japan
New definition of “Japanese whiskey” goes into effect to prevent fakes from fooling overseas buyers
Our Japanese reporter visits Costco in the U.S., finds super American and very Japanese things
Studio Ghibli unveils Mother’s Day gift set that captures the love in My Neighbour Totoro
New Japanese KitKat flavour stars Sanrio characters, including Hello Kitty- All-you-can-drink Starbucks and amazing views part of Tokyo’s new 170 meter-high sky lounge
- More foreign tourists than ever before in history visited Japan last month
New Pokémon cakes let you eat your way through Pikachu and all the Eevee evolutions
Disney princesses get official manga makeovers for Manga Princess Cafe opening in Tokyo
Yearly
Sales of Japan’s most convenient train ticket/shopping payment cards suspended indefinitely- McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
Sold-out Studio Ghibli desktop humidifiers are back so Totoro can help you through the dry season
Japanese government to make first change to romanization spelling rules since the 1950s
Ghibli founders Toshio Suzuki and Hayao Miyazaki contribute to Japanese whisky Totoro label design
Doraemon found buried at sea as scene from 1993 anime becomes real life【Photos】
Tokyo’s most famous Starbucks is closed
One Piece characters’ nationalities revealed, but fans have mixed opinions
We asked a Uniqlo employee what four things we should buy and their suggestions didn’t disappoint
Princesses, fruits, and blacksmiths: Study reveals the 30 most unusual family names in Japan
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McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
Beautiful Red and Blue Star luxury trains set to be Japan’s new Hokkaido travel stars
French Fries Bread in Tokyo’s Shibuya becomes a hit on social media
Starbucks Japan adds a Motto Frappuccino to the menu for a limited time
Sakura tree falls on man at Sannenzaka near Kiyomizu temple in Kyoto 【Breaking News】
New private rooms on Tokaido Shinkansen change the way we travel from Tokyo to Kyoto
Japanese company starts project to restore Nakagin Capsules to capsule hotel
Get in the bullet train, Shinji! The Evangelion Shinkansen is here 【Videos】
Hello Kitty isn’t a cat!? We called Sanrio to find out!
10 crazy pizzas from Japan
Japanese schoolgirl feeds sweets to fans via 4-D VR headsets 【Video】
We tried Korea’s way-too-big King Tonkatsu Burger at Lotteria 【Taste Test】
Japan super budget dining – What’s the best way to spend 1,000 yen at 7-Eleven?
Evangelion Shinkansen gets range of souvenirs, including its very own bullet train ekiben obento
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