Is Former 1960’s TV Cartoon Character Sento-kun?

Alien and former TV star The Great Gazoo seems to have been the inspiration for Nara city’s new mascot Sento-kun.

Gazoo appeared as himself in a minor role on the popular American TV cartoon The Flintstones final season in 1965. Except for the occasional cameo in recent years, Gazoo has shunned media attention.

The Sento-kun character was revealed in February this year. Sento-kun was created for the 1,300th anniversary of the Nara Heijo-kyo capital. The mascot was widely criticized as being “not cute”.

But the negative response has resulted in extensive free publicity. The value of the free coverage is estimated at 13 million yen, according to a report from Osaka Prefectural University’s School of Economics.

other mascots in the news

Tama-chan promoted to Super Station Chief after one year as regular Station Chief. Gets new house.

interview

LetsJapan: What did you do before you were appointed Stationmaster?
Tama-chan : I was being taken care of by an old lady who owned a shop next to Kishikawa station.

LJ: She provided for you.
Tc: Yeah. She tried to keep me in a cat house in the street.

LJ: How did you get this job?
Tc: Well, the government told her my house had to be moved off the road, so she got this wacky idea and suggested putting the kitty hut in the station.

LJ: And the stationmaster agreed.
Tc: He saw my potential. Be the mascot, get some attention, improve the decreasing usage of this route. He made me Station Chief.

LJ: That’s a nice hat.
Tc: I hate it.

LJ: Why?
Tc: I have to wear it all day. I can’t lay down on my right side. Dogs and birds can sneak up on me from the right. And half the time they can’t even put it on straight.

LJ: You’ve posed for a photo book, you have a poster, postcards.
Tc: I earned it! I lived in that stupid pink cage for a year.

LJ: What’s next for Tama Chan?
Tc: Get me out of here. This is humiliating.

Photos: top, right Photozou/Tama-chan album

Video YouTube ; story, video TBS ; story, photo Petwalker

Photos: left Kishigawa-sen blog, right Photozou/Tama-chan album
Tama-chan goods, book; Wakayama line; Ryobi Holdings PR

A suspect in a crime is identified by name, and employer or occupation, but other people arrested for similar crimes are called only “company employees”( whatever that means.)

In Japan, it seems the employer and occupation are revealed for anyone in a media-related occupation, who is caught driving while intoxicated, or peeping under skirts, or for similar crimes, while the employers of others (excluding celebrities or well-known figures) are not.

Nihon Shinbun Kyokai Canon of Journalism states in part:

Member newspapers should pay utmost respect to the dignity of human beings, put a high value on individuals’ honor and give serious consideration to their right to privacy.

Media outlets in Japan are quick to point out crimes allegedly committed by employees of competing media outlets.

In my opinion, the occupation or employer of people alleged to have committed a crime, should not be reported, unless there is a direct connection to the alleged crime, such as someone accused of embezzlement. In most cases, naming the employer or the occupation of a person who has allegedly committed a crime, is irrelevant.

Some examples for comparison (from English-language media)

(more…)

Made (Better) in Japan ( Forked, Alan Richman, GQ, March 2008)

Also a Newsweek International Special report, The New Food Capital Of The World.

This article mentions the fascination with food on TV in Japan, and the 2007 edition of the Michelin Guide, which “gave a total of 191 stars to Tokyo, leaving Paris a distant second with 97 and New York third with 54″.

Now I understand why there’s often a line outside the local 6-seat ramen counter. [ 2008 Michelin Guide (Japanese) ]

If NHK reported your daily life. When a taxi driver is mugged, a person sleeps through a burglary, or a screw falls off an aircraft’s landing gear door, NHK’s charts, graphs, arrows, experts and computer generated images will show you exactly how it happened.?