Japan has a well-earned reputation as Land of the Cute, and nothing underlines this more than the bewildering range of cute and cuddly mascots that can be encountered here. While I don't have the hard stats to back this up, I'm confident in claiming that Japan must have the highest mascot-per-capita ratio in the world (a source of national pride if ever there was one!).
Apart from the run-of-the-mill sports team mascots, perhaps the most weird assortment of these waddling, grinning creatures can be found acting as promotional characters for towns, cities and regions across the country. These so-called Yuru-chara are a highly competitive bunch, constantly vying for public attention, and every year they get to test their popularity in the Yuru-chara Grand Prix. Though I do kind of wish this was a motor race, Mario Kart style, it's actually an online voting competition. The results of 2011's edition were just announced last month, and the proud winner was Kumamon, a rosy-cheeked black bear from Kumamoto prefecture in Kyushu ("kuma" means bear in Japanese, you see).
Now, while it can't be denied that Kumamon is pretty damn cute, and I'm sure he's got an adorable personality, I've got to admit I was fairly underwhelmed by his selection. Surely, I thought, there must be plenty of better mascots out there, more worthy of fame and praise. So, after taking a look at the hundreds (!!) of other entrants to this year's competition, I have come up with my definitive top 5 list, presented in reverse order below. Enjoy!
5. Meron-kuma
Now, THIS is my kind of bear! Just look at those fearsome teeth! And he's got a melon for a head! What's not to love? Meron-kuma hails from the city of Yubari in Hokkaido. He freely admits on his profile that he is not particularly cute, and this clearly cost him in the voting as he finished way down in 146th place. A travesty, in my opinion...
4. Sanomaru
Sanomaru, from Sano city in Tochigi prefecture, sports the beatific smile and huge eyes common to most mascots. Where he really scores points for me, though, is the addition of an upturned bowl of ramen on his head, justified by the fact that Sano has its own popular version of the slurp-tastic Japanese noodle dish. And, seeing as Sanomaru is a self-declared Samurai warrior, he needs a few weapons, which in this case are swords made from sweet potatoes. Awesome!
3. Take-no-michi Yuzuru
I'm a sucker for Samurai, which is partly why this guy made it on to my list. But mainly I just love his massive eyebrows! And his mischievous smile also gives him extra character. In a recurring fruit-as-head theme, Yuzuru's head is a yuzu (Japanese persimmon). Incidentally, Yuzuru is from Mino city near Osaka, which is, presumably, "famous" for its persimmons.
2. Shoubu-pan Oni-ichi (Panky, for short)
This guy also has extremely impressive eyebrows, topped off by...some kind of flower? He's from Saitama, but I'm not exactly sure what the connection with his headgear or tiger-skin pants are with that area... But who cares when you look this cool?! Judging from the "Oni" part of his rather long-winded name, Panky is a devil, though his cuteness factor way outstrips his fear factor, especially with that missing tooth. In his promotional statement, he professes to be on a mission to bring love and victory to the people of Saitama, mainly with the help of his "Shobu (fighting) pants." What a dude!
1. Takamaru-kun
Takamaru-kun is the mascot of Hirosagi Castle, up in northern Aomori prefecture. In case you hadn't noticed, that's the castle perching on top of his head. With his cute yet slightly intimidating appearance, cool weapon (samurai sword) and, of course, spectacular headgear, this majestic hawk ticks all of the essential mascot boxes for me. He even makes me want to go all the way up to freezing Aomori to check out the castle, which surely means he's doing his job right. So take a bow Takamaru-kun, my personal mascot champion. Just make sure your castle-helmet doesn't fall off!
