MORIOKA -- A mascot representing Rikuzentakata in Miyagi Prefecture has won Yuru-kyara Grand Prix 2020 The Final, the last edition of the nationwide popularity contest for yuru-kyara cute and cuddly characters representing local municipalities.
The winning mascot, "Takata no Yume-chan" or simply Yume-chan, helps promote Rikuzentakata, a city devastated by the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. The contest took place in Takizawa, Iwate Prefecture, on Sunday.
With Yume-chan's victory, the contest that started in 2011 to help revitalize regional towns and cities came to an end, as organizers believe it has finished playing its role in society.
Yume-chan, which won 280,017 votes, was based on various motifs in Rikuzentakata, including the famous lone pine tree that was left standing when the tsunami following the quake destroyed a scenic pine tree forest in the city. The character is also the first winner from the Tohoku region.
"[Yume-chan] was born as a character to give dreams to children in the areas devastated by the quake. I hope it will continue playing that role in the future," said Rikuzentakata Mayor Futoshi Toba.
Yurunakin of Izumisano, Osaka Prefecture, won second place, and Tsurugon of Tsurugashima, Saitama Prefecture, came in third.
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