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Marimokkori
is the ''yuru-chara'' mascot of Hokkaidō, Japan. The name "Marimokkori" is a portmanteau of ''marimo'', green algae clusters that grow in some of Hokkaidō's lakes, and ''mokkori'', a Japanese slang term for an erection. Marimokkori's fame comes through merchandising, with a number of various souvenirs being sold in Hokkaidō and throughout Japan. History In 2005, the souvenir wholesaler Kyowa Co., Ltd. created a character based on the portmanteau of ''marimo'', a green algae that grows in Lake Akan, and ''mokkori'', a Japanese slang term for an erection An erection (clinically: penile erection or penile tumescence) is a Physiology, physiological phenomenon in which the penis becomes firm, engorged, and enlarged. Penile erection is the result of a complex interaction of psychological, neural, .... Kyowa started selling mobile phone accessories, which were initially rejected by some souvenir shops due to the vulgarity of the character's design. The character was then ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marimo
Marimo (also known as Cladophora ball, moss ball, moss ball pet, or lake ball) is a rare growth form of ''Aegagropila linnaei'' (a species of filamentous green algae) in which the algae grow into large green balls with a velvety appearance. The species can be found in a number of lakes and rivers in Japan and Northern Europe. Colonies of marimo balls are known to form in Japan and Iceland, but their population has been declining. Classification and name Marimo were first described in the 1820s by Anton Eleutherius Sauter, Anton E. Sauter, found in Lake Zell, Austria. The genus ''Aegagropila'' was established by Friedrich Traugott Kützing, Friedrich T. Kützing (1843) with ''A. linnaei'' as the type species based on its formation of spherical aggregations, but all the ''Aegagropila'' species were transferred to subgenus ''Aegagropila'' of the genus ''Cladophora'' later by the same author (Kützing 1849). Subsequently, ''A. linnaei'' was placed in the genus ''Cladophora'' in the C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yuru-chara
is a Japanese term for a category of mascot characters; usually created to promote a place or region, event, organisation or business. They are characterized by their '' kawaii'' (cute) and unsophisticated designs, often incorporating motifs that represent local culture, history or produce. They may be created by local government or other organizations to stimulate tourism and economic development, or created by a company to build on their corporate identity. They may appear as costumed characters (or '' kigurumi'') at promotional events and festivals. ''Yuru-kyara'' has become a popular and lucrative business, with character-driven sales reaching nearly $16 billion in Japan in 2012. Popular ''yuru-kyara'' include Kumamon, Funassyi, and Chiitan, who have gained international recognition and have reached celebrity status in Japan. Etymology The name ''yuru-chara'' is a contraction of . The adjective generally means "loose", but in this application it has a number of con ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Souvenir
A souvenir ( French for 'a remembrance or memory'), memento, keepsake, or token of remembrance is an object a person acquires for the memories the owner associates with it. A souvenir can be any object that can be collected or purchased and transported home by the traveler as a memento of a visit. The object itself may have intrinsic value, or be a symbol of experience. Without the owner's input, the symbolic meaning is lost and cannot be articulated. As objects The tourism industry designates tourism souvenirs as commemorative merchandise associated with a location, often including geographic information and usually produced in a manner that promotes souvenir collecting. Throughout the world, the souvenir trade is an important part of the tourism industry serving a dual role, first to help improve the local economy, and second to allow visitors to take with them a memento of their visit, ultimately to encourage an opportunity for a return visit, or to promote the locale to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cartoon Mascots
A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or series of images intended for satire, caricature, or humor; or a motion picture that relies on a sequence of illustrations for its animation. Someone who creates cartoons in the first sense is called a ''cartoonist'', and in the second sense they are usually called an ''animator''. The concept originated in the Middle Ages, and first described a preparatory drawing for a piece of art, such as a painting, fresco, tapestry, or stained glass window. In the 19th century, beginning in '' Punch'' magazine in 1843, cartoon came to refer – ironically at first – to humorous artworks in magazines and newspapers. Then it also was used for political cartoons and comic strips. When the medium developed, in the early 20th century, it began to refer to animated films that rese ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
STV Radio
is a TV station of Nippon News Network (NNN) and Nippon Television Network System (NNS) in Hokkaidō, Japan. Headquartered in Sapporo, the capital city of Hokkaidō prefecture, the TV station was established on April 8, 1958. It is usually called "STV" for short, which is used as a name in a number of TV programs. Since December 15, 1962, the company has operated as a television and radio station until July 12, 2005, when its radio broadcasting operations was split into . Currently, STV Radio is an affiliate of National Radio Network (NRN) covering the Hokkaidō Prefecture. The license of the radio broadcasts was succeeded to the STV Radio, and started broadcasting under the new subsidiary on October 1, 2005. History Early stages In early 1957, Youzo Kurosawa (then president of the Hokkai Shimbun), Yoshjiro Kikuchi (then president of the Hokkaido Charcoal Steamship Company), and Yoshitaro Hagiwara (president of the Hokkaido Charcoal Steamship Company), considered the for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lake Akan
is a lake in Kushiro, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is located in Akan National Park and is a Ramsar Site. History Volcanic activity formed the lake some 6,000 years ago, when a lava dam was formed. The lake used to have a clarity of 8–9 meters in the 1930s. Pollution from local hotspring resorts has decreased the transparency to 3–4 meters. Flora and fauna The lake is famous for its marimo (''Aegagropila linnaei''), aggregations of algae that form into spherical shapes 2–30 cm in diameter. Other flora of the lake include the following: * Phragmites communis *'' Nuphar'' sp. *Potamogeton crispus * Hydrilla verticillata * Myriophyllum verticillatum * Vallisneria gigantea * Melosira italica * Asterionella formosa * Synedra Kokanee salmon (''Oncorhynchus nerka'') are native to Lake Akan. Other fauna of the lake include the following: *Zooplankton: **'' Daphnia longiremis'' **'' Bosmina coregoni'' **'' Eurytemora affinis'' *Bottom: **''Chironomus plumosus'' **'' Tubificidae'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Green Algae
The green algae (: green alga) are a group of chlorophyll-containing autotrophic eukaryotes consisting of the phylum Prasinodermophyta and its unnamed sister group that contains the Chlorophyta and Charophyta/ Streptophyta. The land plants ( Embryophytes) have emerged deep within the charophytes as a sister of the Zygnematophyceae. Since the realization that the Embryophytes emerged within the green algae, some authors are starting to include them. The completed clade that includes both green algae and embryophytes is monophyletic and is referred to as the clade Viridiplantae and as the kingdom Plantae. The green algae include unicellular and colonial flagellates, most with two flagella per cell, as well as various colonial, coccoid (spherical), and filamentous forms, and macroscopic, multicellular seaweeds. There are about 22,000 species of green algae, many of which live most of their lives as single cells, while other species form coenobia (colonies), long filaments ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wholesaler
Wholesaling or distributing is the sale of goods or merchandise to retailers; to industrial, commercial, institutional or other professional business users; or to other wholesalers (wholesale businesses) and related subordinated services. In general, it is the sale of goods in bulk to anyone, either a person or an organization, other than the end consumer of that merchandise. Wholesaling involves purchasing goods in bulk, usually directly from the manufacturer or source, at a discounted rate. Retailers then sell these goods to end consumers at a higher price, generating a profit. According to the United Nations Statistics Division, ''wholesale'' is the resale of new and used goods to retailers, to industrial, commercial, institutional or professional users, or to other wholesalers, or involves acting as an agent or broker in buying merchandise for, or selling merchandise to, such persons or companies. Wholesalers frequently physically assemble, sort, and grade goods in larg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Erection
An erection (clinically: penile erection or penile tumescence) is a Physiology, physiological phenomenon in which the penis becomes firm, engorged, and enlarged. Penile erection is the result of a complex interaction of psychological, neural, vascular, and endocrine factors, and is often associated with sexual arousal, sexual attraction or libido, although erections can also be spontaneous. The shape, angle, and direction of an erection vary considerably between humans. Physiologically, an erection is required for a male to effect penetration or sexual intercourse and is triggered by the parasympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system, causing the levels of nitric oxide (a vasodilation, vasodilator) to rise in the Trabeculae of corpora cavernosa of penis, trabecular artery, arteries and smooth muscle of the penis. The arteries Vasodilation, dilate causing the Corpus cavernosum penis, corpora cavernosa of the penis (and to a lesser extent the corpus spongiosum) to fill ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Merchandising
Merchandising is any practice which contributes to the sale of Product (business), products ("merch" colloquially) to a retail consumer. At a retail in-store level, merchandising refers to displaying products that are for sale in a creative way that entices customers to purchase more items or products. In retail commerce, visual display merchandising means merchandise sales using product design, selection, packaging, pricing, and display that stimulates consumers to spend more. This includes disciplines and discounting, physical presentation of products and displays, and the decisions about which products should be presented to which customers at what time. Often in a retail setting, creatively tying in related products or accessories is a great way to entice consumers to purchase more. Merchandising helps to understand the ordinary dating notation for the terms of payment of an invoice. Codified discounting solves pricing problems including markups and markdowns. It helps to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mascot
A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, sports team, university society, society, military unit, or brand, brand name. Mascots are also used as fictional, representative spokespeople for consumer products. In sports, mascots are also used for merchandising. Team mascots are often related to their respective team athletic nickname, nicknames. This is especially true when the team's nickname is something that is a living animal and/or can be anthropomorphism, made to have humanlike characteristics. For more abstract nicknames, the team may opt to have an unrelated character serve as the mascot. For example, the sport, athletic teams of the University of Alabama are nicknamed the Alabama Crimson Tide, Crimson Tide, while their mascot is an elephant named Big Al (mascot), Big Al. Team mascots may take the form of a logo, person, live animal, inanimate object, or a costumed c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Japanese Language
is the principal language of the Japonic languages, Japonic language family spoken by the Japanese people. It has around 123 million speakers, primarily in Japan, the only country where it is the national language, and within the Japanese diaspora worldwide. The Japonic family also includes the Ryukyuan languages and the variously classified Hachijō language. There have been many Classification of the Japonic languages, attempts to group the Japonic languages with other families such as Ainu languages, Ainu, Austronesian languages, Austronesian, Koreanic languages, Koreanic, and the now discredited Altaic languages, Altaic, but none of these proposals have gained any widespread acceptance. Little is known of the language's prehistory, or when it first appeared in Japan. Chinese documents from the 3rd century AD recorded a few Japanese words, but substantial Old Japanese texts did not appear until the 8th century. From the Heian period (794–1185), extensive waves of Sino-Ja ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
