The Phenomenon of the Relaxing Bear

MEANWHILE, BACK IN REALITY: “Ooh, he’s so cute!” gushed two Japanese girls who stood right next to me. For the first time in my life, I finally felt what it must be like to be Brad Pitt or David Beckham. And it felt good.

Then I turned around.

Turns out they were fawning over a variety of products featuring mascot “Rilakkuma,” whose name is based on a Japanese play on words that translates to “Relaxing Bear”. I feel like a kid who just dropped my ice cream and lost my balloon at the same time.

So maybe, just maybe, my mother was lying during all those times she said I was cute. Like a man who got jilted by a pretty girl at a party for a more popular guy, I resented Rilakkuma. Just look at him with his cute face. And his cute mouth. And his cute ears. And his cute little tail.

Oh, who am I kidding, I can’t possibly hate Rilakkuma. How can you hate something that’s just so gawsh-darned cute? It doesn’t hurt that Rilakkuma is such an easygoing fellow. Most of his renditions have him lying down, usually next to a cute chick. That sounds like every guy’s dream right there. Forget Brad Pitt and David Beckham, I wanna be Rilakkuma.

Featured above is but one of the gajillion Rilakkuma merchandise from one of my favorite stores in Tokyo, Yamashiroya by Ueno Station. Recently, Rilakkuma T-shirts have also become available in Japan, much to the delight of many Japanese girls who may or may not think I’m cute. Given the popularity of Japanese-style shirts like Tokidoki among young American women, you might want to hunt a Rilakkuma T-shirt down as a present — especially since I’m hearing complaints from my sister’s friends that Tokidoki’s everywhere now (Heaven forbid a fashion-forward woman shows up in the same shirt as everyone else).

The problem, of course, is finding a Rilakkuma shirt. I was in Japan last April and it was hard to find even there. All I can say is, my sister better be grateful. She can repay me by asking her friends to giggle and tell me I’m cute.