As you might know, kyara-ben (character bento) are elaborately arranged lunch boxes for small children, featuring manga/anime characters they love. Kyara-ben started becoming popular around 2007, and now in…

Source: http://2-5dmask.tumblr.com/post/97032698906/cosmo-world-yokohama-aug-2014-face-type-grace   Are you an anime lover? If so, have you dreamt of having an anime-looking face with incredibly huge, kawaii eyes? Here is something perfect for those who…

  Japan is a land of “yuru-kyara” (relaxing character) mascots, such as Kumamon from Kumamoto prefecture and Funassyi from Funabashi city. The one I would like to share today is “Mangetsu-man” from…

  OMG! Is Totoro really “my neighbor”!? Actually this is what someone created just for personal enjoyment.  A 59 year old man, HIDEBOCHI-san, who runs an udon restaurant in Mie…

  In Western culture there is a tradition of giving the gift of silver upon the birth of a child, or for a baby’s christening. Miyamoto Shoko,  one of the purveyors to…

  Take a look at these cute blue slip-on sneakers 😀 Do you notice anything special? Maybe the red trim with yellow half moon charm remind you of something… Yes!…

  Thomas the Tank Engine from “Thomas and Friends” is one of the most beloved characters in the children’s’ television world. He is very popular with young Japanese viewers as well….

Do you know Cheburashka? It is not a Japanese character, but a character of Russian picture book. I guess I can say that this is still relatively new character, and…

Hello Kitty and My Melody are probably the major globally well-known characters of Sanrio, but we cannot forget about Little Twin Stars.  Colours used for the character consists of less…

  Here I have some great news for Snoopy fans! An officially licensed, Japanese style Peanuts-themed cafe named “Snoopy Chaya (=teahouse)” will be opening in Yufuin (Oita, Kyushu) on April…

  There are lots of regional characters in Japan, Most of which officially belong to certain prefectures, cities, towns and so on. A well-known character, Hikonyan, is Hikone city’s official…