-
Adorable mascot bear Kumamon stars on the most popular new license plate in Japan
投稿日 2019年5月2日 14:00:19 (ニュース)
-
続・お知らせ。海外セレブゴシップ&ニュース
-
お知らせ
-
We spot the legendary dekotora Aki Kannon, dedicated to actress and singer Aki Yashiro
-
New Pokémon GU collaboration dresses all the family, including babies for the first time
-
How do European Cup Noodles taste to a Japanese palate?
-
We’ve been doing it wrong – Japanese genius shows us how we should all be making sandwiches【Pics】
-
The future is now with full face sunglasses
-
Natto-infused ramen is a thing — we tried it, we love it【Taste test】
-
Jellyfish and Halloween in perfect harmony at Sumida Aquarium event
-
Japanese toilet paper collection opens our minds as we open our butts
-
Aomori police on the lookout for man shouting unsolicited advice at kids about dating and ramen
-
Former Arashi members Sho Sakurai and Masaki Aiba get married… Wait, that didn’t come out right
-
Creator of Japan’s longest-running manga, Golgo 13, passes away, leaves fans one last gift
-
Crazy cheap cosplay at Daiso? How to transform into Dragon Ball’s Vegeta at the discount shop
-
7 Halloween-themed afternoon teas you won’t want to miss this year
-
Krispy Kreme Japan creates doughnut burgers that are a meal and two desserts all in one【Photos】
-
Get in the damn drift car, Shinji? Evangelion Tomika toy brings D1 machine home in miniature form
-
Demon Slayer Nichiren Blades ready for new duty: Slicing through your sweets as dessert knives
-
Man in Japan arrested for breaking into ex-girlfriend’s apartment to steal her Nintendo Switch
-
The Japanese Internet chooses the top too-sexy-for-their-own-good male voices in anime
-
First-ever Studio Ghibli x Russell Athletic range pays homage to My Neighbour Totoro
-
Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan announces first expansion with new Donkey Kong area
-
Cup Noodle pouch satisfies our never-ending need for instant ramen
-
Retro Japanese train is our new favourite office space
-
How do Japanese fans feel about Netflix’s live-action Cowboy Bebop opening sequence?
-
We try Uniqlo coffee at first-ever cafe inside Ginza flagship store
-
The number of elderly people in Japan this year has yet again smashed multiple records
-
Mr. Sato broadens his home drinking horizons at Kaldi【Japan’s Best Home Senbero】
-
We try Japanese Twitter’s newest trend the Penguin Egg, end up hatching something very disturbing
-
Takoyaki makers surprisingly good at grilling meat for yakiniku too
Sponsored Link
Kumamoto’s goodwill ambassador is even more popular than Mt. Fuji!
For a country famous for producing cars, Japan has long had pretty boring license plates. Until recently, full-size passenger car plates were the same for every prefecture: green text and numbers on a plain white field.
Last October, though, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism finally allowed for greater variety, as 41 localities were allowed to begin issuing optional alternative plates with artistic salutes to local culture and scenery. Designs included a scene of majestic Mt. Fuji for drivers in Shizuoka Prefecture, or the legendary eight-headed dragon Yamata no Orochi in Shimane Prefecture.
But after six months, neither of those is the most popular new design. Between the start of October and the end of March, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism received applications for 70,700 special plates, and the most requested was the one for Kumamoto Prefecture, which features beloved bear and regional mascot character Kumamon!
おはくま!気持ちを新たにいってくまーす! https://t.co/ZOsFdASdpw
—
くまモン【公式】 (@55_kumamon) April 30, 2019
The popular plates actually give drivers a double dose of the ursine icon. Not only is he peeking out from the upper right corner, the white space in the center of the plates is an outline of Kumamon’s head, ears, and chubby cheeks. Along the outer edges of the plate are the emblems of the Kato and Hosokawa samurai clans, who ruled the Kumamoto area for roughly 300 years, starting in the late 16th century.
Kumamon probably got a bit of a boost in that the Kumamon plates can be issued to vehicles registered anywhere in Kumamoto Prefecture. Many of the other plates are issued for drivers in specific parts of their respective prefectures, such as the above-mentioned Mt. Fuji plate, which is only available for vehicles registered with the Fujimiya branch of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and not to other drivers in Shizuoka Prefecture.
Sponsored Link
▼ Not that Kumamon doesn’t deserve all the love he gets, though.
【お知らせ】くまモンTV#24「くまモンナンバーを探せ!!」が今朝配信されたモン!ボクのナンバープレートをつけた車に、お礼の気持ちばお伝えしたんだモン!たいぎゃ嬉しかったモン!みなさんも早速チェッくま〜!… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
—
くまモン【公式】 (@55_kumamon) February 25, 2019
The other special plates in the top five were Hiroshima Prefecture’s Fukuyama (8,202 plates, logo of the Hiroshima Carp professional baseball team), Miyagi Prefecture’s Sendai (4,333 plates, statue of samurai lord Date Masamune and Tanabata festival decorations), Ehime Prefecture’s Ehime (3,547 plates, local mascot Mikyan and a mandarin orange), and Shizuoka Prefecture’s Fuji-san (3,156 plates, Mt. Fuji).
Kumamon is already one of Japan’s most prolific mascots, thanks to a licensing deal that allows designers to use his likeness free of charge as long as they meet certain conditions. A little extra cuteness is always a good thing, though, and maybe having Kumamoto’s adorable ambassador peeking out at motorists who’re stuck in traffic will help keep road rage in the prefecture to a minimum.
Source: NHK News Web via Otakomu
Top image: Kumamoto Prefecture
Insert images: Kumamoto Prefecture, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Source: SORA NEWS24
Sponsored Link
最新情報