Top Mascot

[Taro Toporific]

Kumamon graces body of Amakusa Airlines' new aircraft
September 30, 2015
Bearing cute mascots on the outside and colorful surroundings on the inside, regional carrier Amakusa Airlines Co.'s new airliner was rolled out here on Sept. 29.
The {Frenchie} twin-engine turboprop ATR42-600 was unveiled by the carrier...more...

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Rest-of-the-story...
Japan’s smallest airline, Amakusa Airlines of Kumamoto Prefecture ordered their new prop planes with plush red leather seating and green accents such as seat-belts. Somewhere too far down the line in the ordering process someone quipped that the airplane is in “Christmas colors”---Everyone laughed and the boss said, “Go with it! And, stick Kumamon in a Santa suit for good measure.”

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[Takechanpoo]

a 400kg brown bear was shot to death in Monbetsu, HOkkaido.

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http://www.sankei.com/affairs/news/1510 ... 19-n1.html

even the one of notorious Sankebetsu brown bear incident was 340kg...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sankebets ... r_incident

[Coligny]

So, still lighter than your mom...

Also:

Takayoshi, Haruyoshi's son, in 1980—after an eight-year chase—hunted down a 500 kg brown bear who was nicknamed the north

[Russell]

What is the point of killing those beautiful animals?

Will they eat them?

[matsuki]

What is the point of killing those beautiful animals?

Will they eat them?

I think the mentality is kill or be killed.....but there is always capture and release in the remote wilderness??

[Coligny]

Hokkaido is already remote wilderness... With banjos, inbreds and no indoor plumbing whatsoever...

[Russell]

Gifu town under fire for using busty No-Rin character to boost tourism

One city in Gifu is trying to put a little bounce into its local tourism by using Kocho, the top-heavy character from No-Rin, on its promotional media.

In November, Gifu Prefecture’s Minokamo Municipal Tourism Association began advertising a stamp rally (a stamp card campaign) open to visitors of participating bars and eateries in the area until January 31, 2016.

But what at first seemed like a fun event to support small businesses is now catching flack from residents and netizens alike for the association’s use of busty anime characters to promote it.

So why such a suggestive choice for their promotional poster? A large part of the reason, according to the association, is because the Kamo Agriculture School nearby was basis for the design of Tamo Agriculture School in the series, where No-Rin’s story takes place.

As for the other part, it seems they’re trying to attract a certain demographic that may not normally display much interest in events like these.

While many users don’t necessarily mind the city’s ties to the anime itself, whose characters have appeared in a number of association-sponsored advertisements, a large number of users particularly objected to the sexual nature of the Kocho poster above, deeming it as “sexual harassment” or “unsuitable for families and children”.

The tourism association claims that the image was previously used by Gifu Prefecture’s Red Cross Center, where female employees were asked about how comfortable they were with the image beforehand. (Although the men were not asked for their opinion, we’re going to go out on a limb and say most probably voiced no objections, either.)

In the Red Cross’s case, after using the image they experienced an increase in blood donations from young adults, and no doubt Minokamo Municipal Tourism Association is trying to replicate the results.

More

They could always justify their campaign by citing this survey...

[kurogane]

What is the point of killing those beautiful animals?

Will they eat them?

Unless things have changed since I was up that way, they do it because they can, and yes, they usually do eat them in a Nabe stew that makes the most revolting Danish foods look like a fresh pepperoni pizza. But it is still trophy hunting, and the population is rated as vulnerable, so shame on them.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Creating a Cuteness Empire in Japan, One Fuzzy Bear Suit at a Time

FOR some of Japan’s most adored celebrities, the journey to fame starts in a converted Internet cafe above a bowling alley in this sunny southwestern city.

This is where Hiromi Kano runs her unlikely star factory, an enterprise whose most successful creations are recognized by millions. Some have huge followings on Twitter and earn billions of yen in revenue. At least one has met the emperor.

The idols churned out by Ms. Kano, 55, are mascots — the smiling, dancing animals, mutated foodstuffs and saucer-eyed humanoids that promote every conceivable thing in Japan, from out-of-the-way tourist spots to careers in the military.

Ms. Kano is a costume maker, though no one in her industry would describe the job so bluntly.

“We have a motto, which is that there’s no human inside,” said Ms. Kano, a mother of two with a warm smile who oversees the workshop and its roughly 40 employees, almost all women.

[...]

There are dozens of mascot-outfit makers in Japan, but the Kano family’s company, Kigurumi.biz, stands out in the crowd. Its suits, which cost $4,000 to $6,500, are the Mercedeses of the mascot world, with features like motorized fans to keep their occupants cool during Japan’s humid summers. Most are based on existing images, but Ms. Kano employs artists who can create characters from scratch or who can refine customers’ designs.

Ms. Kano’s biggest claim to fame is creating the wearable version of Kumamon, a red-cheeked bear that has become one of the most popular fantasy creatures in Japan.

[Coligny]

“We have a motto, which is that there’s no human inside,” said Ms. Kano, a mother of two with a warm smile who oversees the workshop and its roughly 40 employees, almost all women.

Ues, we know, it's the whole country mostly like this...