Registration for this year’s Yuru-kyara Grand Prix opens on May 7, with eyes nationwide turning to see which cute and cuddly mascot will snap up the prestigious award in 2018.
Winning the competition carries plenty of weight, something that is perhaps illustrated best by the success of Kumamon, a rotund black bear representing Kumamoto Prefecture who won the contest in 2011.
Kumamon has charmed netizens thanks to his aerobics, his vaguely “Wicker Man”-like moments, and the fact he generates billions of yen worth of income for his home prefecture.