Last month I attended the “Tourism Expo Japan 2018” in Tokyo Big Sight, a huge aircraft hangar-sized event space in Odaiba, Tokyo. There were displays, installations, and performances from tourist destinations around Japan and the rest of the world, but I went to the travel-themed convention in the hope of catching some regional mascots there. I wasn’t disappointed—there were seemingly hundreds of them, from all corners of the country (and a handful of international ones). This was an excellent opportunity to see some obscure mascots who rarely visit Tokyo. Here are some photos:
Sugarabu-chan the sugar fairy is the mascot of the online shop, Konpeitouyasan.
Momocchi and Uracchi are mascots from Okayama
Toripy, the pear/bird mascot of Tottori, meets Mayumaro, the 2000-year-old silkworm cocoon mascot of Kyoto.
Kuedon and Wakapan are mascots from Wakayama Prefecture.
Tsuntsun the dog and Guribu the pig (mascots from Kagoshima, Japan) are good dancers.
Ieyasu-kun and Naotora-chan are from Hamamatsu City.
Kyun-chan, a Japanese pika in a deer costume, is Hokkaido’s tourism mascot. IburiOne Jr. is a dog mascot from Iburishichou, also in Hokkaido
Kumamon, the hardest working mascot in Japan!
Tacchan (from Ie village, Okinawa) is a bird with peanut pants and a mountain hat.
Kiko-chan the red bull is the mascot of Kikonai, Hokkaido.
Ndacchi is the mascot of Akita, Japan.
Domo-kun, the long-serving mascot of the national broadcaster, NHK.
Kazumo-chan, the mascot of Rumoi, Hokkaido, is a piece of herring roe.
The Shikoku Railway Company mascots are Smile Eki-chan and Reccha-kun.
Kita No Pe-chin is the mascot of Kitanakagusuku village in Okinawa.
Ndanyan is the mascot of Shinjo City.