Japan’s yuru-chara are larger-than-life mascots that range from the cute to the hilarious to the downright bizarre. They are commonly used across the country to promote tourism, social-cause campaigns, brands and more.
For the past two years, the pandemic has wreaked havoc on our lives, including that of Japan’s funny characters – and we kid you not. Shinjokun, the yuru-chara of Kochi prefecture’s Susaki city, for example, used to attend 150 promotional events every year. Since the pandemic, however, all of his gigs got cancelled.
As most of Japan’s mascots are probably experiencing the same problem, Susaki city decided to bring back its highly popular Gotouchi Character Festival to promote local regions by inviting dozens of yuru-chara from all over the country.
In pre-Covid times, the event attracted around 100,000 visitors every year. If you compare that number to Susaki city’s population of around 22,000, you can see what an important role these quirky characters play in promoting tourism.
The Gotouchi Character Festival takes place over the weekend from September 10 to September 11. A total of 78 mascots are confirmed attending, including the aforementioned otter-character Shinjokun as well as bird-mascot Barysan (Imabari, Ehime), pony Gunmachan (Gunma) and pear-shaped character Funassyi (Funabashi, Chiba).
From 9am to 3pm, each mascot has five minutes to promote their region by doing a special dance or performance. For the full list of characters joining the event, see here.
There’s also a charity exhibition featuring different artworks created by a number of yuru-chara. Who knew these quirky characters are not just cute but also creative? The works are exhibited at the Susaki Machikado Gallery between September 10-18. At the gallery, you can also shop for a variety of mascot-themed merchandise. Proceeds from the sales will be donated to the Japanese Red Cross Medical Center in Tokyo.
For more information, see the event website.
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