The Furusato Matsuri (Hometown Festival) is a big food event held each winter over several days in Tokyo Dome, and hundreds of towns and cities around Japan are represented by booths selling yummy local delicacies. Some of them bring mascots along, which is why I went to the event last month. Here are some of the characters I encountered.
Chiitan the fairy baby otterBlack Bancho the streetwise squid from Itoigawa CityJinenger the mountain yam, the unofficial mascot of Shiroi CityTurbo-kun, the mascot for the musician, TM Revolution, is dejected after making a toddler cry.Ishikawa Prefecture’s tourism mascot, HyakumansanKoumi-chan is one of the Ikazukinz from Hachinohe City, a family of seagulls wearing squid hats.Tairyouhousaku-kun is the mascot of the Furusato MatsuriDon Chuck and Rara, the mascots of Tokyo Dome CityIkaru Seijin, the alien squid mascot from Hakodate, JapanTokoron, the plane/boy mascot of Tokorozawa CityWatch out, Kumamon!
