Fuzz and Fur: Japan's Costumed Characters

by Edward Harrison, John Harrison

With Fuzz and Japan's Costumed Characters , Edward and John Harrison delve into another bizarre and cute niche of Japanese popular culture by interviewing and photographing the men and women that create a niche in the phenomenon of kigurumi , which roughly means “dressing up as a stuffed toy.” While adoration for mythical creatures and popular anime characters is nothing new in Japan, this pastime has created a new marketing tool for local government yuru-kyara . Roughly translated as “amateur characters,” yuru-kyara are costumes based on local attractions and points of interest that help define any given area. Through a strange amalgam of hometown pride and cost-saving measures, municipalities often tap their citizens to design the characters. The same citizen enthusiasts also convene yuru-kyara conventions of their own, and give life to another aspect ofJapan’s enigmatic, yet utterly captivating, visual culture.

Genres: Japan

144 pages, Hardcover

First published October 12, 2010

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Japan, they have mascots for EVERYTHING - from ski resorts to the promotion of leek-eating.

This book is packed with color photos of adorable, squeal-inducing, big-eyed things that will make you want to fly to Japan and buy stuff!


Meet NOTO-DON

He's a friendly guy who likes the color red and enjoys dancing and visiting the hot springs in Noto.

Here's ARUKUMA

It likes apples and soba noodles. Hobbies include walking around Nagano and collecting hats.

Despite his swineish appearance, WAKETON

likes things clean and neat. He urges Kobe residents to separate their garbage and follow the city's strict waste management rules.

UMEPPI

is a kishu plum who likes playing drums and spinning around fast.

AKANBEE



is a childish gesture involving sticking out the tongue, but Kanbee Kuroda is also the name of the man who started building Nakatsu castle. AKANBEE is shaped like a kabuto, an elaborately decorated headpiece. Darth Vader's helmet was said to have been inspired by one.

So, there you have it. Cute furry things - good at selling products, sure. But, they also keep us in line AND teach us about history. Maybe the NSA should consider a mascot...

[Iñaki Tofiño · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soooo Japanese, soooo kawai!
I enjoyed the pictures, the silly stories, everything.
Weird country, but would love to go back!

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read! Gives some insight into the quirky mascot culture of Japanese life.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute book. It is set up as an encyclopedia of mascots in Japan by region. I'll mostly keep it to display as it is cute, but not particularly informative or useful.

[frogfairie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars

What a collection of characters, both cute and bizarre. I especially like the quick descriptions for each, including such things as their "likes".