quirky japan (episode 2)

it's time for another edition of quirky japan!

this time i'll be discussing yuru-kyara!

short for "yurui kyarakutaa" or "loose character (mascot)" --

wait, what? loose character? what's loose?

right, see, yurui is one of those words that's hard to put into english. it can mean, of course, loose like "this screw is loose" but it can also be used to describe things like music, atmosphere, character designs...

for example, the darth vader theme played by an orchestra is NOT yurui, but the darth vader theme played on an ocarina? that's yurui.

guitar? not yurui. ukulele? yurui.

starting to get it?

in this case though, it almost takes on the meaning "shoddy" -- let's look at a classic example of yuru-kyara, the beloved funasshi.

funasshi. the unofficial mascot of funabashi-shi -- he's apparently a pear spirit (funabashi is famous for pears) and he can talk (which is rare for yuru-kyara). he tends to end his sentences in "-nasshi!" so like..."nice weather we're having-nasshi!" 

notice the shoddy stitching, the stained fabric, and...all around lack of craftsmanship? it looks like someone's mom made it. the zipper is completely obvious in the back, and the stitching on his feet looks like it's not going to hold. and that's what makes it yurui.

since the advent of yuru-kyara about 3 years or so back, most EVERY city in japan has their own. they even have a yuru-kyara grand prix every year to vote on the best yuru-kyara in japan.

like this guy!

barii-san! hailing from imabari in ehime! (imabari is famous for towels and you can get there by boat)

kumamon! hailing from kumamoto -- this guy is ALSO responsible for the yuru-kyara craze AND he's been sanctioned by kumamoto. you can see his face on stuff everywhere from ramen to candy to folders to keychains... he's a marketing wizard.

even hiroshima has their own (disgraceful) yuru-kyara named "bunkakkii" they smashed together the words for "culture" (bunka) and "oyster" (kaki) and the design is oyster + maple leaf + the hiragana ひ (hi)... yeah, i mean i know hiroshima is famous for oysters and maple leaves and all but... it sounds like "bukkake" to me and if you don't know what that means, goog--- wait, on second thought, don't google it. anyway, YURUI.

but my favorite yuru-kyara is this little guy, sobacchi! from iwate prefecture. he's not famous by any stretch of the imagination, but he IS an adorable bowl of wanko soba (little cups of soba noodles that you eat in succession, famous in (duh) iwate!) just look at him! the cuteness is overwhelming. 

so if you're ever in japan, you're bound to run into one of these guys.

but watch out for this guy:

creepy. as. fuck.