polar bear

Twitter was set ablaze last night after dozens of people shared photos of “a beautiful foreigner walking a polar bear” between throngs of pedestrians at the world-famous Shibuya Scramble crossing in Tokyo.

Join us after the jump to see a video captured by an onlooker and learn more about the group to which this mysterious bear-keeping stranger apparently belongs.

The thigh-high-sporting blonde was seen wordlessly leading a realistic-looking polar bear between crowds of people in Shibuya yesterday evening as a pair of masked men ensured she had a clear path. Onlookers whipped out their mobile phones to snap the sight before them, many understandably wearing expressions of intrigue and caution.

As you might expect, people immediately took to their phones and keyboards to share the images and ask what on earth was going on.

▼ “There’s someone taking a polar bear for a walk in Shibuya LOL.”

A number of theories were offered up online about the strange spectacle, with some wondering whether this could all be a publicity stunt for pop sensation Lady Gaga. What seemed to be on most people’s minds, however, was the tiny issue of whether it was, in fact, a real bear:

“Wait, is there a person inside it??”
“It has a zip on its belly, right?”
“A bear? Seriously, a real bear?”
“Is that a real bear???”
“That’s not real. That’s not real, right? Right?”
“That’s… a bear!”

So what exactly is going on here? While neither the woman and her furry pal offered any explanations at the time, eagle-eyed netizens noted that both she and the men accompanying her were wearing t-shirts with “LALSH” printed on them; a name which turns out to belong to an as-yet unspecified group from Russia. The group is listed on Facebook simply as an “organization”, and, along with a handful of photos of their strolls with the giant white bear, promises some sort of reveal in Shinjuku at the end of this month.

▼ You have my attention…

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According to previous posts on the group’s page, it would seem that the polar bear’s name is actually Hachiko, which is perhaps why his owners decided to hit Shibuya first.

▼ “Wait for me, Japan!”

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We’ll have more on the group and this unusual story as it becomes clear. Whether LALSH turns out to be a cosmetics company, an animal rights group, or just a bunch of dudes selling the best darn ice cream ever, we have to admit they know how to turn heads!

Feature image via YouTube – Yutaka Tsuda
Insert images via LALSH on Facebook