Kumamon くまモン-Taipei, Taiwan-Wow I can’t believe I met the real Kumamon bear from Kumamoto Prefecture-Kyushu, Japan. This is like Japan’s equivalent to Mickey Mouse! Gotōchi-chara (“regional characters”) number in the thousands but Kumamon is one of the most successful probably due to the free use of its’ image. Japanese businesses must get approval first by the local government in order to use the image. My favorite rice shochu has Kumamon on its’ label. Kyushu does sell merchandise and since its’ creation in 2010 has generated over $4.5 billion USD! BTW there are no bears on Kyushu Island. #kumamon #くまモン#japan #kyoto #japanese #gotōchi- #mascot #sanrio chara#streetphotography#photojournalism #away #tripme #traveling #alone #photooftheday #walkingstreet #new#happiness#travelingram #instago #instatravel#traveltheworld #instago #beautifulplace#travelpics #instafollow#travellife #FF #igtravel #followme #travelphotography