A mascot competition scandal

In 2020, Japan held its last ever "Yuruchara Grand Prix". It was a competition that ranked Japan's local mascots and awarded one the coveted title of 'grand prix winner'. It was an honor to be placed in the competition and it did a lot for promoting the area from where the mascot hailed from. However, the competition lost its way and they ultimately decided to discontinue it. 

The Yuru Chara Grand Prix was discontinued after its 2020 event due to intense competition and focus on winning. The competition was so fierce that it was causing overly aggressive and commercialized campaigns. Moreover, vote-rigging scandals emerged. Overall the event was becoming less and less fun and way too serious, ultimately leading the general public to lose interest. The organizing committee felt winning had become the sole goal, overshadowing the fun, local promotion and revitalization it was meant to foster. 

It is a shame, because I used to find it quite exciting waiting to hear who the grand prix winning mascot would be! And there was a sense of pride when one of Saitama's Prefecture won the overall grand prix and also when other of the prefecture's mascots placed in the top three. Thankfully though, there are still other mascot events to enjoy. Including one in my own prefecture of Saitama, the annual Yuruchara Mascot Summit, where you can see hundreds of mascots in the one place.

Have you ever been to a mascot event in Japan? The feature photo is of a minor mascot event held annually in the "Rainbow Cities" of Saitama Prefecture.