Yuru-Chara: How Japanese People Created Local Characters and Why the Boom Ended
The country is overflowing with cute local characters
Cartoon characters are overrunning every corner of Japan. The cover photo above is one of those. I first met this dog at a travel center on a highway during my family trip. Can you guess what it promotes?
The answer is miso, a traditional Japanese seasoning made by fermenting soybeans. The wooden basket on its head is full of locally produced miso, which is called Hatchomiso.
After taking this photo, I tried to google the name of the mascot, but couldn’t find it. The character is depicted with a kimono that tells it’s from Okazaki city, but guess what? Okazaki city has over eight local characters, including official city mascots and others designed by local firms.
Later, I found this dog was designed for the promotion of the Central Nippon Expressway. People can see this character only on the highway.
Yuru-Chara Is Everywhere
As such, everything turns into a character to attract people’s attention in this country. These mascots are often called “Yuru-Chara (yurukyara),” which means laid-back characters.
