Anyone who knows me will be well aware of my slight obsession with Shikamaro-kun, the oh-so-cute yuru-chara (mascot) of the Nara City Tourist Association. As such, any sort of chocolatey snack with his face on it was a sure sell and I left Nara with a collection of Shikamaro-kun mochi sweets to try. Mochi Author’s…

Yuru-chara (ゆるキャラ) are mascot characters which are used to promote pretty much everything in Japan. These mascots are all over the place, promoting everything from cities and regions to products, chains and restaurants. Even the Immigration Bureau of Japan has its own cute character. Since 2010, there has been a yearly Yuru-chara Grand Prix to…