Koakkuma, Funassyi, and Akkuma rock out on stage.
The annual “World Character Summit” took place last weekend, in Hanyu City, Saitama. It’s Japan’s biggest gathering of mascots, attracting 360 assorted yuruchara from all over the country. Kumamon was absent this year, as was the newly-crowned Yuruchara Grand Prix champion, Unari-kun, but most of the other well-known characters were there, posing for pictures with fans and performing on stage. It was a nice sunny day and I had a ton of fun. Here are a few of the mascots I encountered:
Sanuki, the udon noodle fairy.
Kure City’s dance-loving mascot, Kure-shi.
Gatagoro, a fish from Saga Prefecture’s Ariake Sea, and mascot-loving pop-idol, Yufu Terashima.
Teletama-kun, the cracked-egg mascot of Television Saitama, poses next to a sweet set of wheels (a Ferrarri 308 GTS).
Kamagaya City’s mascot, Kamatan, shows off a fancy classic car.
Akasaka Man strikes a pose.
Kaparu feeds Inanosuke his cucumber.
Hii-kun, Muu-chan, and Kaa-kun, the three dancing dogs from Miyazaki.
Huge party goods store mascot, Pier Nishiki, meets tiny kimono-clad safflower, Oke-chan.
Riku, Umi, and Sora, the self-defence force mascots for Saitama Prefecture, look like an awesome rhino version of the Village People.
Jepilie is the mascot for Japan Property Returns.
Ryuouh Sakura-chan in traditional dress.
Chip-kun, dabbing.
Bonsai-kun, a rhino with a bonsai tree instead of a horn.
Kumokkuro the cloud child (mascot of the Shibuya Flower Project, who plant flowers in the city) meets Peccary (mascot of both Japan’s Ecuadorean embassy and the city of Bizen, in Okayama).
Honda mascot, Kurutam.
Oyamakuma, the pink-cheeked bear from Oyama City, Tochigi.
Funyassi, Isa-King, Funassyi, Chicchai-Ossan, and Funagoro put on a show.
Spanky, Shinjou-kun, Osaki Ichibataro, and Nonko act out a sketch.
Tsurugon (with Shimaneko behind him).
Nakanon: a giant, waddling lotus flower fairy from Nagaoka, Niigata.
Mandarin-orange-headed Ehime Prefecture mascot, Mikyan, and his evil nemesis, Dark Mikyan.
Looking like an indecisive person’s Halloween costume, Francoise Biwa (mascot of Minamichita, Aichi) is a loquat tree fairy, and self-proclaimed princess of the fruit kingdom.