Featured

Tanuki

Japanese tanuki heads for the ticket gates at Shinjuku Station in Tokyo【Video】

Wild animal’s surprise appearance makes people wonder if this was a shapeshifting salaryman on his way home from work.

Read More

Turning a crazy cheap country Japanese house into a home — Step 4: Ghost Hunting【SoraHouse】

Installing an overnight trail cam at our old house reveals an unexpected visitor.

Read More

Nike releases izakaya sneakers in Japan【Photos】

New Nike Air Force 1 Mid release is an homage to Japanese drinking taverns.

Read More

In search of Japan’s biggest tanuki, we stumble across something equally big

Japanese raccoon dogs are known for their large…ahem, appendages. But which one is the largest of them all?

Read More

Senior in Takaoka City arrested for stealing up to 50 tanuki statues

Suspect seemed to have an insatiable desire for tanuki.

Read More

Baby tanuki prompts adorable standoff as it tries to get into Tokyo art museum【Videos】

Cultured critter wants into the building, ends up in our hearts instead.

Read More

Because nothing says “delicious cooking” like huge, saggy pig balls, right?

Read More

Japanese office worker finds stray “kittens,” vet says they’re dogs, they turn out to be neither

This kindhearted animal lover was in for a surprise when those babies got bigger!

Read More

Petition to protest bulldozing of Ghibli-featured shrine gathers over 10,000 signatures worldwide

The people have made it clear that they want the shrine to stay, but will that be enough to save it?

Read More

They may look similar at first glance, but the two separate species of forest critters have a handful of key differences.

Read More

Japanese family find creatives solution after “tanuki” sends daughter letter, promises play date

Don’t forget the cream puff!

Read More

Female Japanese tanuki racoon dogs get a chance to shine in new lineup of gacha capsule toys

Male raccoon dog statues are often displayed with their large, uh, family jewels outside Japanese eateries, but soon female tanuki will shine with a different set of large assets.

Read More

Tanuki warming itself in front of heater warms the hearts of Japanese Twitter users 【Pics】

The warmest, fluffiest bundle of fur on Earth has finally been found.

Read More

Big, drunk and furry—Everything you need to know about tanuki (plus a song about their balls!)

See this tanuki? Aren’t his balls cute? Welcome to Japan, where raccoon-dog genitals are universally admired.

Read More

During these crisp, cool days of autumn, the leaves are changing color to vibrant reds and yellows. Along with that change in the scenery comes a shift in fashion, as people step out in sweaters, coats, and other cold-weather attire.

But while you or I can put on a heavy jacket to help ward off the chill, that’s not an option for Japan’s woodland animals. Don’t worry, though because while these tanuki can’t put on additional layers of clothing to keep warm, they can add additional layers of tanuki by sleeping in an adorable bunch.

Read More

Tanuki magically disguises self as cat to get food

Japanese raccoon dogs, or tanuki as they’re known over here, are animals with great significance in Japanese folk-lore. Among their many supernatural attributes such as giant scrota and swift speeds, the tanuki are also known for their purported shapeshifting abilities.

And though the above picture clearly dispels the size of their manhood, there appears to be some truth to their art of disguise. As the Twitter user who posted the photo explains, this little guy is actually pretending to be a stray cat so he can get some of the food laid out for him.

Read More

National Tanuki Cake Habitat Map aims at conserving the once-beloved but now endangered dessert

Tanuki, also known as Japanese raccoon dogs, hold a special place in Japanese culture. Often the center of folktales for their large testicles, magical abilities, and easygoing attitude, you can see them depicted in works of art all over the country.

However, now the tanuki is threatened. Not the actual animal, but a cake created in its image known as the tanuki cake. For many middle-aged Japanese people the mention of such a treat would awaken fond childhood memories. Despite this, the tanuki cake population in Japan has plummeted in recent years to the point of being critically endangered.

That’s why the website Tanuki Cake No Aru Toko Meguri has established the National Tanuki Cake Habitat Map, so that we may monitor and perhaps conserve these noble animal-shaped cakes.

Read More

The Smell of a Tanuki Monster Captured in a Perfume, Approved by the Triforce

Yuru-kyara, those lovable mascots of urban and rural districts all over Japan, have finished their annual yuru-kyara Gran Prix with Bari-San the chicken clinching a long awaited first place.

But that doesn’t mean these men and women in giant animal costumes have time to rest.  No sir. Just as the last Gran Prix closed yuru-kyara it’s now time for the hundreds of mascots to begin campaigning for next year’s vote.

This brings us to Takibou, the Tanuki Monster of Shaolin Temple (not the kung-fu one) in Hachioji, Tokyo. Takibou had finished 58th place (top 6%) in 2012 and is hoping to improve on that performance. So, for the first time – probably in the world – a mascot is releasing their scent for the public to buy.

Read More