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Kyoto Tower mascot termination reveals dark side behind cute Japanese characters

Oona McGee Jul 23, 2024
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Sayonara, Tawawa-chan. It’s a shame you got caught in the cross hairs.

Japan is famous for its cute and cuddly mascots, who add charm to everything from companies to regions and tourist attractions. However, it turns out there can be a dark side behind the joyful smiles and character expressions.

The news recently came to light following the surprise termination of Kyoto Tower mascot Tawawa-chan. Originally created in 2004 to mark the 40th anniversary of the construction of Kyoto Tower, Tawawa-chan grew to become one of the city’s most well-known and beloved characters, and she was often on hand to greet visitors to the tower’s observation deck.

Tawawa chan’s cute likeness to Kyoto Tower and her wide-eyed expression made her a favourite with fans, who were able to take her home with them in the form of cute plushies and related merchandise sold at the souvenir store.

Sadly, though, the sweet character will no longer be gracing the tower in any shape or form, because her contract is up, and due to a conflict between the two parties who had a stake in her, it was decided that she would no longer be working for Kyoto tower.

The news was made public with statements from both parties, the first being the tower’s operating company, Keihan Hotels & Resorts, who released this message on 11 July:

“Notice regarding the end of business for mascot character Tawawa-chan

Keihan Hotels & Resorts Co., Ltd. will end business related to Tawawa-chan due to the expiration of the character license agreement on Wednesday, August 7, 2024.

Thank you for your patronage over the past 20 years.

As the Tawawa-chan character business ends, the Tawawa-chan Shrine at the observation deck and sales of Tawawa-chan goods will be gradually discontinued. We appreciate your understanding.”

The second statement came from Tawawa-chan’s creator, the artist Akira Sakurai, who goes by the name “Moheron” online and is the President and CEO of Moheron Studio.

たわわちゃん終了について、たわわちゃんの作者(もへろん)からのコメントになります。 pic.twitter.com/FMbEdR1sOi

— もへろんスタジオ (@MoheronStudio) July 19, 2024

The statement above, published on 20 July, reveals the sad details behind the sudden termination.

“Regarding the end of Tawawa-chan

With the end of the Tawawa-chan character business with Kyoto Tower, the contract for the character that has been loved by fans for nearly 20 years has come to an end. We regretfully surprised everyone with the sudden news of the contract termination. As the artist, I feel incredibly sad.

On the other hand, as the creator, I have some concerns about the use of characters these days for the clients who use them.

Rather than having the client and the creator develop a character together, the client seems to think they give value to the character because they develop and promote them. Therefore, they seem to believe the compensation for creators should be low.

I feel we have become insensitive to the setting of compensation based on the abilities and roles of artists and creators.

Regarding Tawawa-chan, the character usage fee has been almost free for the past 20 years, and it has not been profitable. All of our multiple negotiations to set usage fees were completely rejected.

I am grateful to the people at Kyoto Tower who have helped me develop this character since its inception. However, as a company, their compensation for the creator was completely unacceptable. Then, this year (a few months ago), while proceeding with negotiations on character license usage fees, we received a unilateral notice from the other party terminating negotiations.

This is no longer a discussion about money.

In thinking that ‘This is an issue of treatment and recognition of artists/creators, and not a company we can associate with in terms of compliance,’ we decided to end the Tawawa-chan character business with Kyoto Tower.

Additionally, we have confirmed unauthorised use of licenses and unreported sales for some Tawawa-chan merchandise. We are entering negotiations involving lawyers regarding this matter. We are prepared to fight to the end on this issue as a case to establish creators’ rights.

Finally, regarding the future of Tawawa-chan, the rights to the character will return to me (Moheron = Akira Sakurai).

We hope Tawawa-chan can be involved in new activities in future.

Thank you.”

Rumours about the real reasons behind the termination had already begun spreading before Tawawa-chan’s creator spoke out, with some believing it was in some way connected to the April 2024 re-naming of Kyoto Tower to Nidec Kyoto Tower, due to a new naming rights contract with Nidec, a Japanese manufacturer and distributor of electric motors. The rumours led Keihan Hotels & Resorts to release the below statement on 19 July.

“Regarding some posts on social media sites etc.

Regarding the termination of the character license agreement recently announced by Keihan Hotels & Resorts Co., Ltd., there are posts related to Nidec Co., Ltd. on some social media sites etc. However, these are not facts and differ from our official announcements and opinions, and Nidec Corporation has no relationship with this matter.”

As noted, this statement was made a day before Tawawa-chan’s creator made his announcement, leading many online to side with the creator in the matter. However, regardless of the reason behind the termination, fans were surprised and saddened by the news, saying:

“I’m so sad Tawawa-chan won’t be around anymore.”
“When I was little, I loved my Tawawa-chan stuffed toy, and I remember crying when I lost it once, and my mother panicking and buying it again. We were together everywhere we went. It’s a character I’ve always loved and have fond memories of.”
“I hope Tawawa-chan can be revived one day.”
“Thank you for the memories, Tawawa-chan.”
“It’s a shame because when I thought of Kyoto Tower, I thought of Tawawa-chan.”

After 20 years of bringing smiles to Kyoto Tower visitors, Tawawa-chan’s departure truly is the end of an era. However, the tower is wasting no time in moving on, with the shrine removed on 11 July and character goods removed from the official shop on 20 July, when Tawawa-chan also conducted her final meet-and-greet at the observation deck, where fans were left in tears during the farewell.

Tawawa-chan’s official Instagram account was deleted from the site on 20 July, so the only remaining chance to see her now is at the dedicated UFO catcher and commemorative medal and sticker machines at the tower, available until 9:00 p.m. on 23 July.

It’s sad to see such a sweet character receive such a sudden and unexpected termination, but as Sakurai retains the rights to her, hopefully this isn’t the last goodbye. With her creator also giving birth to Hikonyan, Hikone City’s famous feline mascot character — for whom Sakurai successfully fought to receive a better licensing arrangement — and Hankyu Railway’s hiking characters Pyon-chan & Non-chan, we might be lucky enough to see a new spinoff character coming soon.

Source: Kyoto Tower (1, 2, 3), Twitter/@MoheronStudio via Net Lab
Featured image: @Press
Insert images: @Press
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