Card crazy: Hikonyan's nengajo overload
Hikone's yuru-kyara cat mascot Hikonyan is expected to receive 10,000 New Years greeting cards -- and promises to reply to them all
This sign at Hikone Castle in Shiga Prefecture states "Hikonyan appears here."At this point, it's unclear whether Shiga Prefecture's Hikone is more famous for its historical castle or its "yuru-kyara" cat mascot Hikonyan.
Hikonyan may have taken the edge this year. Asahi reports that he received 4,578 nengajo New Year greeting postcards by January 4. Hikone officials expect the cards to eventually exceed 10,000 -- breaking last year's record of 8,500.
Hikonyan has pledged to write back to every single person, but is asking for patience in the reply time. As 2010 is Year of the Tiger, a postcard from a famed feline should be valuable throughout the next twelve months.
Hikonyan's official site is available here.
