James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL. Jacu-jii is a human jacuzzi faucet who represents the Osaka Waterworks Bureau.

In 2010 we were gifted the inaugural Yuru-chara Grand Prix—an annual contest where it’s up to the public to decide which mascot is the best in the land. Winners have been fêted ...

Japan’s yuru-chara (literally soft character) craze has been going strong for over a decade. The country’s thousands of cute, quirky mascots represent prefectures, towns, local attractions, and more.

Japan’s yuru-chara are larger-than-life mascots that range from the cute to the hilarious to the downright bizarre. They are commonly used across the country to promote tourism, social-cause ...

Kaparu, a lime-green mascot with a wide mouth and a bald spot, won Sunday’s Yuru Chara Grand Prix 2018 at a mascot festival in Osaka that attracted a remarkable 507 representatives of towns and ...

Even a desperate situation arrives, Kutar will just inflate his body and overcome. What a wonderful Yuru-chara. The lovely and funny Kutar game series is everywhere! Just finish the quest's ...

KUWANA, Mie -- Narita city's "Unari-kun," a regional character mascot that's part plane, part eel, was announced as the winner of the "Yuru Chara Grand Prix 2017" at Nagashima Resort here on Nov. 19.

"Yuru Chara Grand Prix 2018" winner "Kaparu," a mascot for a public corporation to promote culture and sports in the Saitama Prefecture city of Shiki, is seen in the Osaka Prefecture city of ...