Maybe you know Sento-kun, maybe you don’t. He is Nara‘s official mascot and has been since 2010 as part of the celebrations for the city’s 1,300 anniversary.
This mascot is a bit controversial. Usually, Japanese mascots are all about cuteness, and that’s the thing; many people find this poor Sento-kun not cute at all, and quite ugly in fact with those antlers on his head and his “deer in the headlight” eyes. Also, some Buddhists are not a big fan of the fact that he looks like a “ridiculous Buddha”.
In other words, in a country where consensus matters more than many other things, this mascot is far from provoking unanimous reactions. Because of that, it can be a little bit of an outcast in the city mascot club.
And what about me? What do I think about him?
I gotta admit that in the beginning I used to find him ugly, extremely ridiculous and silly (or rather more ridiculous and sillier than the other mascots). But nowadays, I have to admit that I have somewhat grown fond of him. I guess it’s my “protector of the oppressed” side. That and probably the fact that he somewhat reminds me of one of my very young students whom I really like.
Discover more from Setouchi Explorer
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Well… he’s different! Certainly interesting, and much less peculiar than the London Olympics 2012 very odd mascots.
Mmm… I think that in a Japanese context, he is much more peculiar than the London 2012 mascots who would fit just right, here in Japan. 🙂