AltJapan

Super Deformed Sutras

Hiroko pointed me in the direction of this interactive guide to reading Buddhist sutras, complete with an animated little monk who guides you through the original Sanskrit and Chinese text in phonetic Japanese. It's enlightenment, super kawaii style! 

Komyo Shingon ("Mantra of Light") recitation

Hanya Shingyo ("Heart Sutra") recitation

Hugs for Ground Zero

Freedom isn't free. It's kawaii! At least according to Daikin, the Japanese company that's providing the heating and cooling systems for the Freedom Tower, the replacement for the Twin Towers in New York City. Spotted on an advertisement in the Tokyo subway system, this just proves yet again that no subject is taboo for the creation of a super-cute Japanese "working character."

Viva Piñata

A slice of life shot in the Mission district by my old pal Jim Rohal.

Domo-Kun is everywhere these days.

Domo Arigato, Mr. Targetto

Sign of the kawaii-pocalypse? NHK mascot Domo-Kun has become the official halloween mascot of the Target retail chain. Watch as he hawks cheap snacks and gorges on that quintessentially American treat, candy corn. No shortage of Japanese cartoon characters have achieved popularity in the United States, but this marks the first time a PR mascot has made the big leap to stardom. It's hard to imagine a stranger cultural mash-up, and it's only the beginning: it turns out Nickelodeon is producing a series of animated shorts based on the character as well. Not bad for a creature that apparently hasn't been able to close its mouth for nearly a decade.

Domo-kun debuted in Japan in 1999, created as an "image character" to promote the tenth anniversary of the founding of the rather unfortunately named NHK-BS cable network. (That's "BS" as in "broadcast satellite," by the way.) It's hard to pin down exactly where Americans got their first taste for the fuzzy parallelepiped, but I distinctly remember hearing family and friends -- and these are the sorts of people who would otherwise be totally disinterested in things kawaii -- mentioning him during the 2000 Summer Olympic Games, where he appeared on NHK advertisements visible in the backgrounds of playing fields. He quickly grew into a cult icon in the West, spawning a mega-popular web meme and a seemingly endless series of fan tributes on the Net. 

Ironically, when I suggested trundling out the costume for the segment on kawaii characters I filmed for NHK's Tokyo Eye last year, the higher-ups demurred, claiming total surprise at the Domo-kun's popularity abroad, even going so far as to worry that his sudden appearance might "confuse" viewers. (Later, I pieced together that it probably had more to do with wanting to avoid stealing the thunder of the network's more recent mascot, Nanami-chan.) So it goes in Japan, where it has only recently started dawning on the "powers that be" that something created domestically might become a cult favorite abroad. Then again, given the super-rapid turnover of mass media iconography here, is it any wonder the smoldering popularity of a nearly decade-old mascot took them by surprise? It's the equivalent of a Japanese television network petitioning American power companies to let them use Reddy Kilowatt.

Working Character World Cup!

When Japan's TV Champion show organizes a mini-olympics of Japanese mascot characters, insanity ensues. Known as "yuru-kyara" ("weak characters") in their home country, we dubbed them "working characters" in our book Hello Please! Very Helpful Super Kawaii Characters From Japan. If anything highlights the sheer pervasiveness of cute characters in Japan, it's an event like this.

Here, our fuzzy heroes take time off from their jobs promoting various national and regional tourist attractions to participate in a super kawaii soccer match, a game of tag, a 50 meter "endurance race," and even a little sumo wrestling. Score one for the team, Hikonyan! (And watch quick: chances are those clips won't be available for long.)

Pi Squared

Do you remember the official mascot of Nakano Broadway? Unveiled a few months back? Looks like a giant pink sperm with a broken tail? Ringing any bells?

I am proud to announce that the formerly nameless mascot has a new moniker: the rather unfortunate sounding "PiPi"! And that's not all: you can have your PiPi and play with it, too, thanks to a whole host of official souvenirs being sold at a tiny kiosk crammed in between a shoe store and a stairwell deep within the otaku-infested hallways of the complex. Long live obscure mascot character goods. 

Why "PiPi"? You can ask "Saito-san of Nakano-ku," who named it in a contest (and pocketed a cool 50,000 yen in the process.) It's supposedly "the sound of information being transmitted, plus the 'pi' of 'pink.'" Righto.

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.")

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!

The Hugest Ice Cream Cone in Nakano Broadway

On his days off, my dad says that he is going out to meet interesting foreign people, and he always leaves me behind.

You know a Tokyo destination has "made it" when it gets an official mascot character. Now otaku mecca Nakano Broadway finally has one of its very own. I haven't been able to determine an actual name, but it resembles a spermatozoa with a damaged tail, a fitting symbol for a section of town that attracts people with perhaps Japan's lowest propensity for successful mating. These posters started appearing in Broadway several weeks ago in conjunction with a ferociously convivial, ice cream obsessed English-language website. "NAKANO WELCOMES FOREIGN VISITORS. NAKANO SHOP ONWERS ARE ALWAYS POSITIVE."

The tone veers wildly from section to section. "Amazing cheap and colorful underwear will get your attention," opines one post. "You might take pictures with lovable maids," suggests another. Meanwhile a faux blog ostensibly written by a child astutely remarks "no wonder Dad didn't ask mum to come!" Alas, "Nakano Broadway for Couple," "Nakano Broadway for Female," and "Nakano Broadway for Male" sections are still under construction. We await their advice with bated breath.