Your otaku education is incomplete if you can’t name five yuru-chara off the top of your head. Yuru-chara are those cute Japanese mascots representing companies, products, sports teams, cities, and Japanese prefectures. And it doesn’t matter which five you choose, as long as you include Gunma-chan.
Quick, Name Five Yuru-Chara
Let’s see. There’s Kumamon, the black bear representing Kumamoto prefecture. Melon Kuma, the (absolutely terrifying) bear with a melon head from Hokkaido’s Yubari city. We’ve met Chiitan, the baby fairy otter and unofficial mascot of the city of Susaki, who does insane stunts for us to enjoy on the internet. Soon, we’ll get to Nyango Star, the metal drummer who’s half cat, half apple. That’s four, and we haven’t even gotten to the star of the show.
Many Japanese cities have official yuru-chara, so I got to know Ishidan-kun and pig-ball Coroton. Ishidan-kun has a manjuu head, a bath hat (an actual bath, not a shower cap), and a staircase body representing the famous Ikaho hot springs. Coroton is a ball-shaped pig from Maebashi, analogous to Pewter City from the Pokémon games. Did he swallow a poké ball? Although these guys are not well known, even in Japan, they feel like old friends to me because they were a splash of local charm around town.
Gunma is a fascinating slice of Japan, and Peter — Your Friend in Japan — has the insights you need to read in The 11 Jokes from You Don’t Know Gunma Yet.
Let’s Find Out About Gunma-chan!
And the best friend must be Gunma-chan. Here are five reasons why you should care about the little orange horse with a cabbage hat:
- Gunma-chan is the mascot of Gunma prefecture. That’s where J-List HQ is, right in the middle of Japan. I’m sure Gunma-chan never paid us a visit, unfortunately.
- Gunma is, in Japan at least, the historical place for horses. I wonder if they ever mentioned that in Uma Musume Pretty Derby? And, speaking of horses, Gunma-chan is the descendant of Yuuma-chan. Can you see the likeness? Historicity aside, I think I saw all of two horses during my five years living in the prefecture.
- Popeye eats his spinach, and Gunma-chan wears cabbage on his head. Apparently, Gunma cabbages are top-tier. They must be if they’re good enough to wear. I miss tonkatsu on a bed of freshly shredded cabbage.
- True anime otaku know their collection of random anime facts grants them true power over those “Ghibli-only fans.” If you’re looking for weird anime and random facts, check out Gunma-chan’s anime, unsurprisingly called Gunma-chan. And that’s true otaku power to impress your friends with handed to you on a silver platter.
- Have you been enjoying Dungeon Meshi? Has it made you consider your carnivorous limits? I don’t think I could eat centaur meat or horse. This is getting macabre, but legends say you can find restaurants serving horse meat in Gunma. You’ll never look at Gunma-chan in the same way again now. And you know why I only ever saw two horses.
Let’s Chat
Also, be sure to follow J-List on these platforms!
- Twitter/X, where Peter posts anime booba for you
- Bluesky, where we post several times a day
- Facebook, where we share memes and discuss anime
- Instagram, where you can look at sterilized anime memes because it’s Instagram
- Discord, if you want to chat with other J-List customers of culture
Do you have a favorite yuru-chara? Did we convince you to pledge your loyalty to Gunma-chan? Tell us in the comments. I’m waiting with my cabbage hat to hear from you.
Do you love the soft feel of plush? Can you own too many soft toys? The J-List Store often has new plush dolls, so check in periodically. We don’t have Gunma-chan right now, but you never know where he’ll pop up.
