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The Mainichi
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Mainichi
News in Easy English: Japan city to replace scary kappa statue after years of service
FUKUSAKI, Hyogo -- A well-known statue of a "kappa" river creature in Fukusaki, Hyogo Prefecture, will be replaced because it is worn out from many years of surprising tourists. 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
The Mainichi
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Mainichi
West Japan town's 'kappa' folklore creature to be replaced after years of scaring tourists
FUKUSAKI, Hyogo -- A popular statue of a "kappa" river creature from Japanese folklore in this western Japan town will be replaced after becoming worn out from years of "work" by popping out of a pond to surprise tourists. To fund the replacement of Gajiro the kappa, the Hyogo Prefecture town of Fukusaki has turned to a crowdfunding campaign based on 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." Donations will be accepted through Sept. 30. Gajiro was "captured" in February 2014 in the pond at Tsujikawayama Park, a site in Fukusaki that is known for its kappa legends. The creature was tasked by the town to rise above the surface of the pond every 15 minutes during the day, a job he has "faithfully" performed without a single day off. His appearance, so realistic that it makes some children cry, drew attention and helped Fukusaki promote itself as a "town of yokai," or Japanese folklore creatures. As a result, the number of tourists visiting roughly tripled. The statue is about 1 meter tall and made of fiber-reinforced plastic. A second version was created in 2016 and has been used after several repairs, but it is now approaching the end of its lifespan. Constant exposure to water has caused its body to deteriorate, the surface to peel, and its hair to turn green and frizzy, which is starting to fall out. The town decided to work on a third version as they "can't bear to keep showing him in this peeled skin condition." The Fukusaki Municipal Government set a fundraising goal of 1.7 million yen (about $11,600) and aims to complete the new statue by the end of the year. The campaign uses "Government Crowdfunding," which allows people to support local government projects, through the hometown tax website Furusato Choice, operated by Trustbank Inc. People who donate 2,000 yen (roughly $14) will receive a postcard handwritten by Gajiro expressing thanks. Like regular hometown tax donations, contributors can also receive local specialties as gifts in return. For more inquiries, contact the town's regional promotion division at 0790-22-0560 (in Japanese). (Japanese original by Nobuya Muramoto, Himeji Bureau)
