Only in Japan: Mame Shiba

In Japan, there are many, many cute characters to choose from. Most large department stores have sections dedicated to these characters - stuffed characters, key chains, pencils, folders, etc. My personal favorite is the Mame Shiba.

Mame Shiba is half bean and half dog. A hybrid, if you will. Each one of them is a different type of bean, and they enjoy telling various trivia. Only in Japan would they think of something like this.

Well, I couldn't resist their cuteness, and ended up buying "strap" (a charm that's usually put on your phone or bag). I use it as a keychain.

It's shaped like an edamame bean pod, and you can push out the beans to see the little mame shiba. Kawaii!!

But perhaps the cutest thing is the commercials. There are about 20 of them on you tube, and these are my three favorites: