Today, under the shadow of an incoming typhoon, thirty mascots from Saitama Prefecture came together in Kumagaya Sports Culture Park (in Kumagaya, Saitama). They came to celebrate their native prefecture, outside a football stadium where Saitama’s FC Omiya Ardija were playing Gamba Osaka. Ardija means squirrel in Spanish, and the team’s squirrel mascots were present. The match was a draw (2-2).
Each of the characters had a QR code on its person for you to scan on your phone, each of which revealed a word. After getting six words you could add them all together to make a question, which you then had to answer in order to enter a raffle to win prizes. The question was an obscure one—about an Omiya Arija striker’s goal scoring record. Luckily a beer stand barman helped me out with the answer and I could enter the raffle.
Eventually it began to rain and the yuruchara waddled away.
Here are a few of the mascots I met:
Mappu, the windmill mascot of Matsubushi Town.
Tamarlin, the mascot of Saitama Super Arena
Potekuma, the potato bear of Chichibu.
Hanipon, the mascot of Honjo City.
Midorino of Midori Village.
Popotan, a new dandelion fairy mascot from Asaka City.
Komugicchi, wheat mascot of Kamisato town.
Sakaron, mascot of Sakado City.
Teletama-kun, the mascot of Television Saitama.
Natchan, one of the mascots of Kamikawa.
Fuwappi is the name shared by the twin brother and sister mascots of Fujimi City.
Tana-chan, the mascot of Namegawa Town.
Hasupi, mascot of Hasuda City.
Kumagaya City mascot, Nyaozane.
*Edit: One week later I received a package in the mail. I had won a prize in the raffle. A box full of Saitama mascot goodies!
