Kawaii !? Yuru - Chara !

 

 

"Yuru-Chara" stands for “Yurui character” meaning “loose

 

character.”

It’s like a mascot character and devised for PR purposes by
 
local government, government departments, etc.

It is said there are more than 2000 Yuru-Charas in Japan.
 
They cheer or heal us,
 
therefore there is a widely popular from children to adults.
 
However, there are also characters to be cynical,

but in some cases they are likely to be popular in reverse.
 

 
“The Yuru-Chara GRANDPRIX” has been held once a year
 
from the 2010 which is a tournament to determine the NO.1
 
Yuru-Chara.

 
They become famous If they win in this tournament.
 
So they are commercialized in various things

and can be on CM and TV.
 

Economic effect of "Kumamon" winning Yuru-Chara
 
GRANDPRIX of 2011 is said to be about 124.4 billion yen
 
(about ＄1,225,500,000) or more in two years.

You don’t regard them as just costume mascots…
 

 
 
 

"KUMAMON"

 
The official Yuru-Chara of Kumamoto Prefecture in Kyushu
 
and winner of the Yuru-Chara GRANDPRIX 2011.
 
Though it is a set of 5-year-old boy,

 

his work is public servant.

 

"FUNASSYI"

The unofficial Yuru-Chara of Funabashi-city, Chiba

Prefecture.

Citizens living in Funabashi made​​ it.

 

In the setting of "fairy pear", it can chat.

 

Intense and bad feeling movement is feature.

 

It's a character with the force most

has come to TV commercials and TV shows now.



http://kumamon-official.jp/
http://terawarosu.jimdo.com/

 

    

It's OK even if you mistake...

 

This is a pen named “FRIXION BALL KNOCK”

and produced by PILOT.

The bear good humor below was drawn with this pen.

It's fairly normal one.

 

I rubbed with a rubber attached to the reverse of the pen

point. Then…

Ink drawn has disappeared.

It seems to disappear by frictional heat.


In this series, there are colored pencils or highlighter

 

pens other than ballpoint pens.

Pen Mania

 

 
Here is TOKYU HANDS, Umeda store in Osaka city.

(on the 10 - 12 floor at Daimaru Departmentstore next to  
 
The JR Osaka Station)

TOKYU HANDS is chain store in Japan

 

and sells a huge variety of goods.

Especially assortment of writing instruments is great.

 

 

 

 

 

When I visited the shop,

 

a woman was checking the smooth writing of many pens for

 

at least half-hour.

 

You need patience to find your favorite pens...

 

 

http://www.tokyu-hands.co.jp/

Today is SETSUBUN !

SETSUBUN means the day before the beginning of Spring.

We make two customs on this day.
 
 

 

 

One is scattering roasted soybeans.

 

At the shrine or home, we do it to drive devils away

 

while saying “Devils out ! Good luck in !”

 

Then we eat the same number of beans as one’s age

 

to wish for good health.

 

 

The other is eating “EHOUMAKI (Fortune Sushi Roll)”.

 

You can get it at supermarkets,sushi shops or others.

 

Some people make it at home.

 

There is a way of eating.

 

Face the lucky direction of the year.

 

Eat an entire Sushi Roll without stopping and speaking　

 

because it's said that good fortune will be gone if you speak.

 

 

When you imagine the scene,it would be a little strange...

A Nice Refreshment (1)

Here is not an esthetic salon.

It's just one of public restroom.

It's ladies' restroom on the 4th floor of a commercial building

 
“LUCUA” next to the JR Osaka Station in Osaka city, Japan. 

 

 

 

 

In Japan, quality of the cleanliness and atmosphere of

 

the restroom could affect the evaluation of the place.

 

Warm toilet seat and washlet (bidet) is standard equipment

 

anymore.

But we recommend not much to use it

because cleaning and maintenance of washlet (bidet)

may not be perfect ...

 

 

 

 

Welcome to The JapanGle !

Konnichiwa !

 

Welcome to The JapanGle.

 

The JapanGle is a blog introduces interesting, funny, or

trivial things of life in Japan.

 

When it comes to Japan,

 

you might imagine Samurai, Fujiyama, Sushi, Anime,

 

hightechnology, etc …

 

But Japan is more complicated

 

 

Why don’t you find anything about this country with us ?