Hello everyone, how are you?
Last week was warm, and the cherry blossoms were beautifully in bloom, but today the weather has turned cold again, almost like winter.
Since March, we’ve been seeing an increase in foreign tourists again. Many of them are taking photos in front of the statue of Usopp from the anime One Piece and buying figurines.
A lot of people even say they came all the way to Kumamoto just to see this, which really shows how popular it is.
When you come to Kumamoto Prefecture, the local mascot Kumamon welcomes you everywhere, but if you come to Aso, you’ll also start seeing another character quite often. Many people might not know this, but it’s Crayon Shin-chan, a very popular anime in Japan that’s also recognized by many overseas anime fans.
You might be wondering: why Crayon Shin-chan in Aso?
Well, although the main character, energetic five-year-old Shin-chan’s family lives in Saitama, his mother Misae’s hometown, meaning Shin-chan’s grandparents’ house, is actually in Aso.
There are many collaborative products featuring Kumamon and Crayon Shin-chan, and you can find heartwarming panels of Shin-chan and his family at major tourist spots.
And just last month, a new photo spot was added!
A 3D statue of Kumamon and Shin-chan together has been set up at the entrance of the Aso Volcano Museum.
The location might change in the future, but for now it’s at the popular Aso Volcano Museum, and when I visited recently, I saw many international visitors happily taking photos with it.
So if you’re visiting Kusasenrigahama or the crater of Mt. Aso Nakadake, be sure to stop by and meet this adorable “Kumamon Shin-chan” too!
Kana
