AltJapan

Angry Firs

Even after years of studying super kawaii characters in Japan, I come across new species that defy easy explanation.

This sign appeared in Inokashira Park several weeks back. It's posted on a bridge that's being renovated, and warns pedestrians to watch their step. It's a classic "warning character" sign, but... What are those little monsters at bottom? Trees? If so, why are they armed with spears?

Perhaps they aren't trees at all but yokai: a personification of the misfortunes that befall your feet when you don't watch where you're stepping.

I.N.K.ling

So I wussed out on my threat/promise to take a swim in Zushi's chilly waters yesterday. But with things like this inhabiting the nearby storm drains, can you really blame me?

"Stop or we'll cute!"

Meet Seyano Ajisai and Seyano Keyaki, the newest recruits to the ranks of Japan's many regional police department mascots. Unlike the usual vaguely-defined yuru kyara style working characters, they look like they stepped right out of the pages of a manga. But these aren't a joke, aren't some kind of dojinshi mash-up. They are 100% official designs of the suburban Yokohama based Seya Police Department, freshly unveiled just days ago. That makes them (in the words of a Seya P.D. spokesman) "the most cutting-edge police mascots in Japan." 

The comment echoes one by Takashi Murakami several years ago about mascots "representing the cutting edge of kawaii culture in Japan." Given the troubles the anime, manga, music, and film industries are suffering at the moment, one could make a strong case that mascot culture is the "healthiest" (or at least most dynamic) of Japan's subcultures right now. And nowhere is that more evident than in the merging of status-quo mascot design with moé, that fetishization of girlish naiveté and effeminate men.

You can read an article I wrote on the subject over at CNNgo, but the fact that a police department chose these particular designs for outreach purposes is yet another example of just how deeply moé has entrenched itself in the mainstream of Japanese society. While there's a joke to be made here about the people who are supposed to be protecting children using "lolicon" as a community-building tool, this isn't really about Seya's aesthetic choices. Mascots are like fuzzy little mirrors reflecting the tastes of the day -- and love it or hate it, moé, is here to stay.

Der Kawaii Commodore's in Town (Uh Oh)

In 1853, a fleet of four steam-powered frigates under the command of U.S. Navy Commodore Matthew Perry paid an unannounced visit to Edo bay. Dubbed the kurofune (literally, "black ships") by the astounded citizens of Japan, a combination of Perry's savvy negotiating tactics plus the veiled threat of a bombardment eventually convinced the Tokugawa Shogunate to open the country to foreign trade after two centuries of near total isolation.

Heavy stuff. And this being Japan, that means there's absolutely no reason not to commission a super-kawaii mascot commemorating the event! Meet "Tanemaru," the world's most cuddly cheerleader for the concept of gunboat diplomacy. Unveiled as part of the City of Yokohama's 150th anniversary celebration of the official opening of the port, it's an ambulatory ship with a seedling sprouting from its bridge. Okay, so it's celebrating the RESULT, not what led up to the opening. But still.

After writing Hello, Please! it takes a lot to surprise me when it comes to mascots like Tanemaru. I suppose he isn't any conceptually stranger than Hikonyan, or the even more inexplicable Hello Kitty Black Ship. ("Open your frickin' harbor or we'll bombard you with hugs!") But there's something about the mash-up of nineteenth century imperialism and super-cute mascot culture that would undoubtedly have set the head of an old salt like Commodore Perry spinning. Ponder that the next time you take a ride in one of Yokohama's Tanemaru-festooned taxis.

Pancake Positioning

Observe two packages of pancake mix sold in supermarkets throughout Japan. They're packaged in the same size of box; they retail for roughly the same amount of money; they both make "a big big pancake with a big big taste." The only difference: one's intended as your average, everyday pancake mix; the other is branded with the swanky Hotel New Otani name. (Which also, coincidentally, happens to be the site of the now legendary Battle of Tokyo Trader Vic's. But I digress.) 

Question: Given the near-identical nature of the products, how best to differentiate them? Super kawaii "working characters" to the rescue. These otherwise unassuming packages, identical save for the image they attempt to present to customers, illustrate one of the facts Hiroko and I discovered during the making of Hello, Please! Very Helpful Super Kawaii Characters From Japan: the more exclusive a product's image, the lower the chance you'll see cute characters associated with it. 

Just take a look for yourself. Cozy 'n unpretentious Morinaga's on the left. Chic 'n glamorous New Otani's on the right. One features supercute anthropomorphic bowls, pans, pancakes, and even (in an absurdly elaborate story on the official website) a carbohydrate-laden mascot character. The other, aiming for a slightly more elegant sort of image, doesn't. Click to enlarge.

Now you know. And knowing is half the battle. Now pass me the syrup.

(You may remember the Morinaga instructions from that timeless AltJapan classic, "Makin' Pancakes the Japanese Way.")

Things That Go Bump in the Night

We first meet Hiroko and Matt in Tokyo's touristy Asakusa, where the couple pose with a pair of tanuki statues on the grounds of a shrine...

Thanks to the the Asahi Shimbun for the feature on us in today's issue. Partly a goofy exposé of Hiroko and I, partly a review of Hello, Please!, and mostly a discussion of the creatures that populate the soon-to-be-released-in-America Yokai Attack!, it's got a twist at the end that managed to surprise even us (and will definitely surprise Steve Jobs). Check it out if you get a chance.

Do the Yura Yura

The "Yuru-Kyara" (揺るキャラ), a subset of the "working characters" that we profiled in Hello, Please!, are regional mascots created in a semi-desperate effort to boost the visibility of far-flung areas of Japan. Nearly every prefecture boasts its own super kawaii mascot character, and more than a few towns and villages have created their own as well. Most are anthropomorphic versions of the area's specialty (such as a certain crop or a local dish), and costume versions of them are trotted out at festivals and such to keep the kids (and adults) occupied. 

The term "Yuru-Kyara," a contraction that roughly translates into "weak character," was coined by artist Jun Miura. It refers to the fact that the actual marketing potential of most of these guys is limited at best. Here Miura has created an animated music video featuring local mascots from all over Japan. Watch as they bust a move to that festival drum beat! For the truly obsessed, here's a link to all of the videos tagged "Yuru-Kyara" on Youtube.jp.

Kichijoji Ichiban Rare Chara

The other day, you learned about Nakano's nameless and mysterious new mascot. But did you realize that Kichijoji has its own official mascot character, too? Meet Kittan! In the annals of the "yuru-kyara" ("weak characters"), he's one of the most decidedly yuru. A near featureless orange ball with Disney-inspired eyes, he's supposed to evoke... what, exactly? The sunny skies over the city? Your liver after a night spent getting sloshed in scenic Harmonica Yokocho? Actually, he's vaguely reminiscent of the kanji for "kichi," 吉, which means "good fortune" and is used to write "Kichijoji" (吉祥寺).

He's decidedly difficult to spot in his natural habitat (the info kiosk on Sun Road is a good place to start), but lo and behold, there he is kicking it on the curb with a "furry" in Second Life! (In Japan, apparently, super kawaii characters drink sake instead of forties.) In fact, a Kittan devotee has created an entire virtual Kichijoji in Second Life, complete with replica Inokashira Park, Iseya yakitori stand, maids, and the occasional dinosaur. Hats off to anyone who spends their free time masquerading as an alcoholic mascot character!

Coral is Kawaii

Betcha didn't know that 2008 is the International Year of the Reef. As anyone who dives or snorkels tropical waters knows, coral reefs are windows into another world -- and increasingly threatened by climate change, pollution, and overfishing. International Year of the Reef is sponsored by a variety of countries, including Australia, France, Mexico, the Philippines, and America, but only the Japanese have gone the extra mile and created not one but SEVEN super kawaii mascot characters to promote it!

Clockwise from left, you've got Oniide (a super-cute crown-of-thorns starfish, nicknamed the "demon-star" in Japanese for its toxic spines), Shota (the boy with coral for hair), Kacchi, Chu, and Zou (a trio of coral polyps), Taiyo-Kun (the sun), Unibo (a sea urchin), Kanirin (a crab-girl) and Jangurasu (sea grass). The mascots were named in a nationwide competition; a 76-year-old from Fukushima submitted "Shota," while a 7-year-old from Tokyo came up with "Taiyo-Kun," showing the huge popularity of "working characters" (as we call them in Hello, Please) across a wide demographic in Japan.

Getting "Dusted"

"I'm not garbage!" A happy little dust mote pleads his case in this ad from Duskin. It goes on to explain how dust from cleaning equipment is recycled into concrete-making material. Just goes to show you: even chunks of grime can be super kawaii characters!