It’s my favourite Japanese character Rilakkuma‘s (リラックマ) 10th Anniversary this year and, as part of the anniversary celebrations, San-X have released a Zodiac-themed series for Rilakkuma! In the series, Rilakkuma is dressed up as all 12 signs of the Zodiac, in these super kawaii plushies:
They’re also available in smaller sizes – the kind of size you often see dangling off high school students’ bags in Japan…
(All images from: san-x.co.jp)
I’m a Sagittarius (いて座), but I actually prefer the Cancer (かに座) and Scorpio (さそり座) toys, as they’re really cute. Seeing these toys made me realise that I had never thought about the Japanese for the signs of the Zodiac before, as usually in Japan the Chinese Zodiac is more popular. So, in case anyone’s interested to know, here’s the Japanese for all of the signs of the Zodiac:
Aries – Ohitsuji-za (おひつじ座)
Taurus – Oushi-za (おうし座)
Gemini – Futago-za (ふたご座)
Cancer – Kani-za (かに座)
Leo – Shishi-za (しし座)
Virgo – Otome-za (おとめ座)
Libra – Tenbin-za (てんびん座)
Scorpio – Sasori-za (さそり座)
Sagittarius – Ite-za (いて座)
Capricorn – Yagi-za (やぎ座)
Aquarius – Mizugame-za (みずがめ座)
Pisces – Uo-za (うお座)
I love how having an interest in kawaii things can lead to learning new Japanese vocabulary too! (*^_^)v
Not sure, but I guess some exhibiters will sell them at Hyper Japan… May be…
I am Ohitsuji-za and not bad. In my personal opinion, Uo-za one is most ridiculous looks because this is mermaid not fish. I think much better and cuter if it wear fish-head-shape-hat or something!
That would be great if they did! There should be a whole San-X stall!
Haha, yeah, I agree about Uo-za – looks a bit silly.
I LOVE this series! San-X did such a great job on the detailing! Even the little illustrations are so well done
Oh wow – I love your blog! Thanks for stopping by! (*^_^)v