Watch: Meet Yikumaru, the adorable flying puppy who’s the mascot of the Japanese town of Oji
The beloved pet of 7th century Prince Shotoku has come back to life as a drone, with the ability to ‘walk the skies’.
Japan is full of wonderful, strange things, and the newest on the roster in a flying puppy urban mascot.
In South Japan’s Nara, the town of Oji has just introduced a flying drone puppy named Yukimaru its official mascot. The city authorities have released a promotional video (above) to introduce their new mascot and to attract tourists.
Yukimaru was created to pay tribute to his namesake, the pet dog of a 7th century royal, Prince Shotoku. The video shows the shrine of the original Yukimaru at Daruma-ji Temple, which is one of the town’s most popular heritage sites.
The video implies that the original Yukimaru has come back to life as a drone, “with the ability to walk the skies”. This endearing flying puppy is powered by a quadcopter, and has mechanical legs that look like they’re walking in air.
Yukimaru takes the viewers on a stroll through the historical town, to discover how things have changed, and flies through all the popular attractions, like the Hobata Shrine, Mount Myojin and the Bell of Eternal Lovers.
