Month: June 2018

Gotouchi-Character Festival in Sumida 2018

Each year an army of fuzzy mascots from all over Japan gather for Tokyo’s largest yuru-chara event, “The Gotouchi-Character Festival in Sumida”. Held in the last weekend of May at the base of Japan’s tallest structure, the towering Tokyo Sky Tree, the festival was tons of fun. Here are some of the pictures I took there:

Mori-ken, the mascot of Moriya City in Ibaraki, is a dog dressed as a frog.

Inappy rocks out.

Chicchai Ossan and a vending machine

Kiibou and Gibo-chan

Obuse Kuri-chan is a giant chestnut from Obuse City, Japan.‬

Zamarin meets Norimaki Tintaro.

Softkuri-inu, the soft ice cream dog/dog poo

Tsugaru-chan

Todorocky the boxing seal of Todoroki, Tokyo.

Shinjokun and Mikke-chan

Momiji-chan and Yuzugappa have a standoff.

Koakkuma and Akkuma

Jinguskan No Jin-kun

Udon-Nou in what appears to be a wedding dress.

Shimanekko

Chiba-kun meets Potekuma

Bari-san at the Tokyo Sky Tree

Umeneba-chan competes with the Sky Tree.

Katou Dennosuke

Chosei Tonyu-kun at the Sky Tree

Mascots of Justice

Today I went the 60th annual National Corrections Exhibition, held by the Ministry of Justice at the Science Museum in Tokyo’s Kitanomaru Park. There were lots of arts and crafts for sale, made by prisoners as part of their rehabilitation. Here are some mascots I met there:

Waka-P is the orange-headed mascot of Wakayama Women’s Prison. (Her name is an abbreviation of the prison’s name. Oranges are grown in the area.)

Pourisu-kun is Japan’s law education squirrel mascot.

Jinken Mamoru-kun is one of the mascots for the Ministry of Justice’s Department of Human Rights Advocacy.

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