Japanese Mascots

Kiccoro and Morizo were the mascots of the 2005 World Expo in Aichi prefecture. Kiccoro the Forest Child is full of energy. Morizo is an easy-going and kind old man. There is a profile here and lots of photos here. Kiccoro’s name in Japanese is キッコロ. Morizo’s name in Japanese is モリゾー.

Sorara-chan is the mascot of the Floating Garden Observatory at the Sky Building in Umeda, Osaka. Her favorite phrase is “hasta manana” and there is a profile here. Sorara-chan’s name in Japanese is そららちゃん.

The Noppon Brothers are the mascots of the Tokyo Tower. Their profile is here and some merchandise is here. Their names in Japanese are ノッポン弟 and ノッポン兄.

Toripi is the mascot of the Yumeminato Tower in Tottori. There is some Toripi merchandise here and some wallpapers for download from here. His name in Japanese is トリピー.

Gota-kun is the mascot of the Goryokaku Tower in Hakodate, Hokkaido. He is 107m tall and his favourite food is Goryokaku Tower chocolate. His profile is here and his name in Japanese is ＧＯ太くん.

Kurumet-kun is the mascot of the Science Museum in the city of Kanda, Fukuoka prefecture. He is a robot and his profile is here. Kurumet-kun’s name in Japanese is くるめっと君.

Terebi Oto-san is the mascot of the Sapporo TV Tower. His name means “TV Dad”. He has a website here and you can buy a Terebi Oto-san cellphone strap here. Terebi Oto-san’s name in Japanese is テレビ父さん.

Japanese Mascots today begins a series of special posts about the mascot characters of tower visitor attractions in different parts of the country. Tawawa-chan is the mascot of the Kyoto Tower. She was born at Kyoto train station and her special skill is playing the harp. Tawawa-chan’s profile is here, some merchandise is here and lots of photos are here. Her name in Japanese is たわわちゃん.

Sento-kun is the mascot of the 1,300th Anniversary of the Heijo-kyo capital in what is now the city of Nara, which will take place in 2010. His name was chosen from more than 14,000 suggestions, although the design has been controversial: it combines the Buddhist monks and the deer for which the area is famous, but many people have commented that the resulting character is not cute. Sento-kun’s profile is here and his name in Japanese is せんとくん.

Higomaru is the mascot of Kumamoto Castle’s 400th anniversary, which was celebrated in 2007. There is a Youtube clip of him here. Higomaru’s name in Japanese is ひごまる.

Hikonyan is the mascot of the 400th aniversary celebrations at Hikone Castle in Shiga prefecture. His hobby is walking and he likes eating meat and fish. Hikonyan’s profile is here and there are lots of photos here. His name in Japanese is ひこにゃん. The Yahoo Japan News site reported in April 2008 that visitor numbers at Hikone Castle are 60% higher than they were ten years ago, with the very popular Hikonyan believed to be largely responsible for the increase.