The Hated Habatan

What I've been told: Habatan is the official mascot of Hyogo [or Kobe]. Despite his balloonish appearance, Habatan is a phoenix, which is appropriate since he's the embodiment of Hyogo/Kobe's resiliency after the Hanshin Earthquake of 1995. Since Hyogo is hosting the 61st National Sports Festival, Habatan in various sporty poses is absolutely everywhere. There's a Habatan dance that loads of kids learn.

My problem? I don't like cutesy things. The exceptions to this are Studio Ghibli characters, Moomintroll stuff, and the occasional Snoopy as the Red Baron.

Hating cutesy stuff can be hard in Japan, where grown men adorn their cars with multitudes of stuffies. My former Kyoto-sensei drank his coffee out of a teddy bear mug. Students frequently ask me if I prefer Kitty-chan [Hello Kitty] or Pooh-san [Winnie the Pooh].