News in Easy English: Japan city to replace scary kappa statue after years of service
The statue is called Gajiro. To pay for a new Gajiro, the town started a crowdfunding campaign using Japan's "hometown tax" donation program. A town official said, "We hope this will be an opportunity for more people to learn about Gajiro's hard work." People can give donations until Sept. 30.
Gajiro was "captured" in February 2014 in the pond at Tsujikawayama Park, a place famous for kappa stories. Gajiro's job is to rise above the pond every 15 minutes during the day. He has "faithfully" done this job every day. Gajiro looks so real that some children cry when they see him. Many people come to see Gajiro, and the number of tourists has become about three times bigger.
The statue is about 1 meter tall and made of fiber-reinforced plastic. The second version of Gajiro was made in 2016 and has been fixed many times, but now it is very old. Water has damaged the statue, the surface is peeling, and the hair is turning green and falling out. The town said they "can't bear to keep showing him in this peeled skin condition," so they will make a third version.
The town wants to raise 1.7 million yen (about $11,600) and finish the new statue by the end of the year. People can donate through the hometown tax website Furusato Choice. If you give 2,000 yen (about $14), you will get a postcard handwritten by Gajiro. People can also get local gifts for bigger donations.
(Japanese original by Nobuya Muramoto, Himeji Bureau)
Vocabulary
kappa: a creature from Japanese stories, said to live in rivers and ponds
crowdfunding: when many people give small amounts of money to help pay for something
donation: money given to help someone or something
fiber-reinforced plastic: a strong material made from plastic and fibers
deteriorate: to become worse or damaged
peel: when the outside layer comes off
municipal: related to a city or town government
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