Mascot festival in Japan

October 26, 3:02 AMJapan Travel ExaminerJoshua Williams

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Hikonyan (center) and other Japanese mascots
(photo / festival press release)

With cameras flashing and names being shouted from the crowd, 138 mascots were treated like celebrities at the Mascot Festival in Hakone city, Shiga Prefecture.

Mascots of all shapes and sizes participated in the 2nd year of the event, officially called the “Yurukyara Matsuri in Hakone ~ Kigurimi Summit 2009 ~.” The attending mascots were made up largely of regional PR characters from 27 different prefectures around the country, such as the host city’s wildly popular Hikonyan samurai cat mascot. There was also a group of company mascots present, as well as one character from overseas – Saipan’s Saipanda

The event, which lasted from October 23-25, drew in around 72,000 visitors, according to a report from the Chunichi Shimbun. The Mainichi reported that this year’s event had about three times as many mascots showing themselves off as the previous year. 

Events at the festival this year included an opening ceremony on the 23rd and chances for visitors to interact with the characters on the 24th and 25th. One visitor in his late-twenties happily told reporters that seeing the all the mascots was “strangely great.”

If you missed the Mascot Festival in Hakone but wanted to attend, keep your eyes out for next year’s, which is sure to be even bigger and better.

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