Japanese Mascot Ossan To Appear As Guest of Honor At Anime Expo

Japanese mascot Ossan will make his American debut at Anime Expo in Los Angeles, July 2-5, 2015. The popular “Go-torch character” (sometimes called yuru chara or yuru kyara) will participate in multiple events at the convention, including an Instagram and Twitter promotion in which attendees can snap photos with Ossan and tag their photos with “#FoundOssan” to receive a small gift. Ossan (sometimes called “Chicchai Ossan”) is one of Japan's top local mascots along with Kumamon and Funassyi. There are more than 3000 mascots in Japan, each of them representing a specific prefecture or city.

Ossan’s real name is Shinichi Sakata. He is a middle-aged Japanese guy with a strong Kansai dialect from Hyogo prefecture with a wife, four children, and a dog-named “Yagi” (goat). Ossan is frequently seen on Japanese television commercials, programs, and game shows. He showed up as a “stickers” on LINE last year and ranked in the Top 3.

In Japan, Ossan has become one of pop culture's favorite characters with his sharp tongue and warm fatherly advice. People in Japan think he is very funny -- ask him to play the national anthem and see what he does! There is also a rumor that you can gain good luck if you get a chance to rub his shiny baldhead... but you always have to ask him nicely.

Ossan Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chicchai.ossan.en Ossan Homepage: http://co3.tv/ Ossan Twitter: https://twitter.com/chicchai_ossan ANIME EXPO Information and Registration: http://www.anime-expo.org/