10 Creepiest, Traumatic-Looking Local Mascots Of Japan

Japanese people are all about CUTE, but when it comes to making local mascots, sometimes they misjudge what "cute" means. From a spirit of condoms to a hard-on man, check out the wackiest creatures created from our beloved Japan! - Created by Rinkya, your source for Yahoo Japan Auction items in English! Find more articles on our blog.

10. Tora Touchan (from Tamatsukuri, Osaka)

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Tora Touchan means "tiger daddy" in Japanese. He's a father of two kids and a hard-working salary man, which is great, but he just looks like he’s going to molest children! What's in that suspicious-looking black briefcase, daddy?

9. 801-Chan (from Misono 801th Market Street of Kita-ku, Kyoto)

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801-chan is supposedly inspired by kamo eggplant, a popular vegetable locally produced in Kyoto. However, the vegetable looks nothing like the satanic-looking character above. Actual eggplants look much cuter. And its name 801 is pronounced "yaoi," which makes it even funnier (google it if you don't know what it means).

8. Taramaru and Beniko (from Iwanai, Hokkaido)

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Taramaru and Beniko are cod twins from Hokkaido. They are cods but they are eating sushi...? Just the fact they are half-human half-fish make them creepy enough, but eating one of their kind is just wrong!

7. Udon Nou (from Kagawa)

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Udon Nou means “Udon (noodle) Brain.” The official story tells that he used to be a normal human being once, but because he loved eating udon noodle so much, his brain turned into one.

6. Marimokkori (from Hokkaido)

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It’s hard to believe Marimokkori is so widely accepted in Japan today. It’s created from a mere pun on words, Marimo + Mokkori, where Marimo is a kind of moss ball species living in Hokkaido’s Akan Lake, and Mokkori means a boner. No, seriously, he’s a family-friendly mascot, even with a bulging crotch and those creepy eyes.

5. Com-Chan (from Yokohama, Kanagawa)

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Sadly, Kanagawa does not have many mascots, except for this seemingly friendly creature Com-chan. Com-chan is a gigantic condom that educates local communities about safe sex and AIDS prevention.

4. Sayuri Koshinaga and Zan Takakura (from Kanagawa Police)

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If they show up in front of my house at night I'd scream! Sayuri and Zen are an old couple working for Kanagawa Police, and their mission is to promote awareness for safe driving and transportation rules. Sayuri said that every kid who's seen her cries. Duh!

3. Manbekun (from Hokkaido)

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Manbekun is a combination of a crab, scallop (on ears), and a Japanese iris (on his head). He is notorious for his sarcasm and sharp tongue. He was such an arrogant douche that the city had to ban his official Twitter account and basically fired him from official activities completely since 2011.

2. Funassy (from Funabashi, Chiba)

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Funassy is a spirit of pears, the juicy fruit in which Chiba prefecture is the number one producer of. Funnasy’s seemingly cute, but his unlikely agility and odd behavior (he jumps really high while screaming) makes him a creepy mascot. He also claims that his favorite food is pears, even though he's a spirit of pears, and also the red marking on his chest is a blood stain from murdering someone.

1. Melon Guma (from Yubari, Hokkaido)

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Melon Guma is easily the scariest town mascot ever created. I mean, what were they thinking when designing this mascot? Yubari's known for their delicious cantaloup melons and brown bear habitats. Sure, but they did not have to create such a horrific monster out of them. It'll give elderly heart attacks!