Welcome to The Extra, a fortnightly newsletter of complimentary stories — that’s right, free for all to read — curated from The Japan Times archives. This week, we’re looking at Japan’s love of mascots.
As part of our Black Friday subscription drive, we’re also highlighting some recently published content, including a piece about a mascot most readers will be familiar with. With JR East announcing the retirement of its beloved Suica penguin for rebranding purposes, Bloomberg’s Gearoid Reidy breaks down what the move means and why it matters.
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