{"id":1125,"date":"2019-04-20T11:25:11","date_gmt":"2019-04-20T11:25:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mondomascots.com\/?p=1125"},"modified":"2019-04-20T11:25:14","modified_gmt":"2019-04-20T11:25:14","slug":"an-encounter-with-nishiko-kun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mondomascots.com\/index.php\/2019\/04\/20\/an-encounter-with-nishiko-kun\/","title":{"rendered":"An Encounter with Nishiko-kun"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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A few weeks ago I ventured out to Nishi-Kokobunji, on the outskirts of Tokyo, to catch a rare appearance from the local mascot, Nishiko-kun, an armless, dancing character based an ancient roof tile excavated in the area. The enigmatic Nishiko-kun rarely comes to events in other parts of the city (but has managed to fly to other countries such as the UAE and France).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Nishiko-kun in the temple<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I was a bit late when I arrived at the Shinto temple where Nishiko-kun was set to appear, and there was nary a soul in sight on the grounds outside, so I sheepishly entered the temple through an unmanned side door. Inside, a couple of dozen people were sitting on pews, heads bowed in quiet contemplation, as two bald Buddhist monks in robes performed a religious ritual before them, involving chanting and banging a gong. I would have assumed I\u2019d come to the wrong address, were it not for the fuzzy grey mascot sitting in the front row, silently observing the ritual. I quietly slipped into a vacant seat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Once the ritual was over, we were treated to an impressively nimble dance performance by Nishiko-kun, followed by a meet and greet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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