Plastic Pigs

The lick lipping pig outside restaurants cheerfully encouraging customers to take a bite can be seen all around the world. This is a collection of Death wish pigs found in Japan. We have pigs outside clothes shops in Yokohama’s China Town, Pigs above ramen restaurant door ways, outside a nikuman stall, made into a rubbish bin, disguised as a lantern and even outside a hairdressers.

Tower Mascots

Tawawa-chan awaits you inside Kyoto Tower and in Tokyo Tower there are the Noppon Brothers. Almost all the observation Towers in Japan have their own mascot. If they don’t have an Idle Idol they’ll almost certainly have a kigirumi (fur suit).

Opposite Kyoto station stands Kyoto Tower an observation tower and the tallest structure in the city. The steel tower has an observation deck at 100 meters and stands on top of a 9-story building. It was built to coincide with the Olympics in 1964 and is modelled on a Japanese candle.Tawawa-chan was created for the 40th anniversary of the tower. She has a thing for tall guys and on Valentine’s Day gives chocolates to the Noppon brothers.

Tokyo Tower was built in 1958 to house antennas for broadcasting and observation decks. Influenced by the design of the Eiffle Tower, Tokyo Tower has become an equally iconic part of the landscape. The tower is 332.5 metres and the tallest artificial structure in Japan. The Noppon brothers were also created to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their tower. The older brother wearing blue dungarees is quiet, shy and cool. The younger dressed in red is cheerful and lively but gets lonely when away from his friends. The twins can be seen outside the tower but not at the same time unless it’s a special event.

At the bottom of the page you can see all the main tower mascots in Japan and below, which tower they represent and where you can find them.

• Toripi (Dream Port Tower – TOTTORI)
• Tawawa-chan (Kyoto Tower – KYOTO)
• Noppi (Higashiyama Sky Tower – AICHI)
• Tawa-kun (Play Park Gold Tower – KAGAWA)
• Fuuta-kun (Fukuoka Tower – FUKUOKA)
• Mizurin (Twin Arch 138 – AICHI)
• Sorara-chan (Floating Garden Observatory – OSAKA)
• Billiken (Tsutenkaku – OSAKA)
• Terebitosan (Sapporo TV Tower – HOKKAIDO)
• Noppon brothers (Tokyo Tower – TOKYO)
• Kobe Port Tower-kun (Kobe Port Tower – HYOGO)
• Gota-kun (Goryokaku Tower – HOKKAIDO)
• Sorakara-chan (Tokyo Sky Tree – TOKYO)

If you want to see what the towers really looks like, this web page has them all listed together with pictures.

Construction on another tower is well under way in Tokyo and has recently surpassed the height of Tokyo tower. Its called the Tokyo Sky Tree and is being built in the Narihirabashi / Oshiage area of Sumida Ward. When completed in 2012 it will be the tallest tower in the world at 634m.

UPDATE
Sorakara-chan the mascot for the Tokyo Sky Tree has just been launched (28/10/2010). Read here story here.

Tokyo Park Animals

When it came to editing Idle Idol we ended up removing a whole section called Park attendants. They didn’t quite fit in with the rest of the mascots but it was really hard to get rid of such great characters from the book.

All over Japan these creatures brighten up small parks with slides made into elephants, wobbly seat pandas and some animals just there to brighten up a small corner of fun.

Tanuki

This is Tanuki a raccoon dog and also a mythical creature from Japanese folklore. They are known for their mischief, magical powers and the ability to shapeshift. Statues of jolly tanuki can be found outside many bars and restaurants, beckoning at customers and welcoming guests.

A small town called Shigaraki is famous for making the large ceramic sculptures having started during the Edo period. Initially, the sculptures were primarily used as good fortune charms, but in the late 19th century they were used to identify shops that served soba noodles. The statues were first used by a a famous Tokyo soba shop near Tanuki Bridge where a specific soba dish called tanuki soba (Japanese noodles with tempura batter) was developed. Tanuki soba became popular and spread throughout Japan. Other soba shops would have a tanuki statue outside to show they sold the dish. Tanuki statues were further popularized in 1951 when Emperor Hirohito visited Shigaraki. He was so taken with the statues that he wrote a poem about them. The media picked up the story, and the statues’ popularity surged.

The statues often wear big straw hats and carry bottles of sake, promissory notes or empty purses. They always have large bellies and proudly display huge testicles that dangle down to the ground. Tanuki are a symbol of restraint that warns of what happens when you overindulge in food and alcohol.

Tales of tanuki playing tricks on people include legends of them transforming into kettles, monks or geisha, turning leaves into money or horse dung into a delicious meal. Many stories also involve a tanuki stretching his large testicles to the size of eight tatami mats. The always excellent Pink Tentacle has an excellent post on a set of prints showing tanuki ‘using their humorously large scrota in creative ways’. You can see images of them using their scrotums as blankets, weapons, raincoats, drums and even parachutes, as in the anime Heisei Tanuki Gassen Ponpoko.

Shigaraki decided Tanuki needed a rest so created Tanuki day on the 8th of November. Closed eye stickers are stuck over the staues eyes and some are placed in baths to relax. The 8th was chosen as it was the day Emperor Hirohito came to town. Check out the eight traits of Tanuki.