The smell of a tanuki monster captured in a perfume

Arts & Culture Dec. 27, 2012 - 06:18AM JST ( 3 )

TOKYO —

Yuru-kyara, those lovable mascots of urban and rural districts all over Japan, have finished their annual yuru-kyara Grand Prix with Bari-San the chicken clinching a long awaited first place.

But that doesn’t mean these men and women in giant animal costumes have time to rest.  No sir. Just as the last Grand Prix closed, it’s now time for the hundreds of mascots to begin campaigning for next year’s vote.

This brings us to Takibou, the tanuki monster of Shaolin Temple (not the kung-fu one) in Hachioji, Tokyo. Takibou had finished 58th place (top 6%) in 2012 and is hoping to improve on that performance. So, for the first time – probably in the world – a mascot is releasing a scent for the public to buy.

Although the scent of someone in a raccoon costume doesn’t sound appealing, the scent is purported to be quite pleasant. The scent named Takibou Fragrance Cure Sunset is based on a poem by Hachioji resident Uko Nakamura, Yuyake Koyake (Sunset Small Burn) and “the smell of the sun.”

It’s described as a sweet orange base with elements recreating the scents of rivers, sunshine, and forests. They claim that it’s suitable for men or women and can even be used as a room freshener.

As an added bonus the bottle is emblazoned with the ubiquitous “triforce” symbol, which is also the crest of a prominent Japanese clan in the 13th century, long before Zelda came out.

Takibou is a 400-something year-old tanuki monster who once terrorized the other animals of the forest. Then, one day a powerful monk of Shaolin Temple defeated Takibou and showed him the error of his ways. Now he represents the temple at public events.

These events are the only place you can purchase the smell of Takibou for 4,200 yen a bottle. It may be possible to arrange a bottle delivered by contacting shop@takibou.jp.

Time will tell if the fragrance line will help Takibou at next year’s Grand Prix. Cross promotion is quickly becoming the key to victory for many a big-headed animal.

Source: Value Press, Takibou.jp via IT Media (Japanese)

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