Upon arriving in Japan, one of the first things you’ll probably notice is the large army of characters being used to sell anything from services to stationary to automobiles, or giving tips on being a good citizen like when it comes to separating your trash or picking up your dog’s poop after it finishes doing its duty. Most of them are cute, but some are downright scary.
In recent years, yurukyara, literally “weaker mascot characters”, have slowly been taking over the country, with more and more cities and businesses allocating funds to coming up with the prefect representative character costume each year. Aside from being hot and stuffy inside, being a yurukyara seems like a pretty awesome job. Kids are happy to see you, people are clamoring to get a picture of you, and generally everyone loves you…
Or at least that’s the impression we got until news of a mascot character in a small Ehime Prefecture town getting attacked.
One of Japan’s most beautiful hot spring towns announces new limits on number of day trippers
Ghibli’s Princess Mononoke teams up with Foxfire for outdoor apparel collaboration【Photos】
Japan’s new difficult-to-drink-from beer glass protects your liver, but it’s a brutal experience
Turn clear files into works of art with cleverly designed Japanese scroll
Children’s slippers stolen in night at Japanese preschool, police identify weasel who did it【Vid】
Flying dango: Unique tourist site where Japanese sweets are flown to you over a gorge
Japan’s new frozen sushi DIY kit – Great foodie fun, or cold-hearted abomination?【Taste test】
Doraemon found buried at sea as scene from 1993 anime becomes real life【Photos】
Mario Kart Happy Meal toys arrive at McDonald’s Japan, and SoraNews24 has the whole set!【Photos】
History’s highest sumo wrestling and geisha dance to take place at Tokyo Skytree observation deck
Japanese job-quitting service contacted by other job-quitting service because employee wants to quit
After cancelling Halloween, Tokyo’s Shibuya neighborhood cancels New Year’s Eve too
Sanrio and magical girl anime PreCure join forces for new merch line【Photos】
Tokyo park’s sea of clouds, nighttime illumination, and cosplay days make now perfect time to visit
Beautiful Japanese garden green tea crepes waiting in Tokyo’s historical Asakusa neighborhood
Samurai ritual suicide contest cancelled by organizer in west Japan
American jackass tourist arrested after carving name into gate at Tokyo’s Meiji Shrine【Video】
Nintendo’s controller capsule toys are so cool, even the machine you buy them from is awesome【Pics】
Tokyo Disneyland loses top-attendance crown for Japanese theme parks for second year in a row
Ghibli Park debuts first winter illumination display with Howl’s Moving Castle theme
Pringles releases a limited-edition sweet flavour in Japan
What’s the deal with akebi, the perfectly purple, alien-like fruit that’s in season now in Japan?
McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
Foreign tourists on Shinkansen bullet train break suitcase etiquette, angering local passengers
[Deleted] Article written for April Fool’s Day 2018
Japanese government to make first change to romanization spelling rules since the 1950s
Foreigner’s request for help in Tokyo makes us sad for the state of society
Ghibli founders Toshio Suzuki and Hayao Miyazaki contribute to Japanese whisky Totoro label design
Japanese convenience store Family Mart announces abolishment of eat-in spaces
Princesses, fruits, and blacksmiths: Study reveals the 30 most unusual family names in Japan
Life-size vibrating Legend of Zelda Master Sword for sale from Nintendo【Photos】
Studio Ghibli releases free-download board game — Here’s how to play it without reading Japanese
Flying dango: Unique tourist site where Japanese sweets are flown to you over a gorge
Japan’s new frozen sushi DIY kit – Great foodie fun, or cold-hearted abomination?【Taste test】
Doraemon found buried at sea as scene from 1993 anime becomes real life【Photos】
Mario Kart Happy Meal toys arrive at McDonald’s Japan, and SoraNews24 has the whole set!【Photos】
History’s highest sumo wrestling and geisha dance to take place at Tokyo Skytree observation deck
Best all-you-can-eat okonomiyaki in Japan? Restaurant chain serves up a feast for under $14
We visit Japan’s new Sriracha vending machines to get our spicy red-sauce fix【Pics】
Do bears strike first with their left paw when attacking people? Japan wants to know
Shiba Inu watches humans on YouTube, internet has officially come full circle 【Videos】
Cheeseburger rice bowls arrive at Japanese beef bowl chain Matsuya, and in our stomach【Taste test】
Secret hot spring onsen in Japan is a hidden gem waiting to be discovered by tourists
Is the all-you-can-eat KFC buffet in Tokyo really as good as they say it is?
Our Japanese reporter bids a fond farewell to Tokyo’s last Claire’s boutique
We’ve got anime swimsuit girls–all 85 of them! Which one gets your vote?