Kumamon, the black bear-like mascot of Kumamoto Prefecture in southwestern Japan, has received around 5,300 "nengajo" postcards for the new year, including from overseas, the prefectural government said Tuesday."I miss you," and "I want to see you this year" were among the messages sent as of Monday to the beloved character, who has largely refrained from making public appearances since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.Kumamon was created in March 2010 to promote Kumamoto ahead of the launch of the Kyushu Shinkansen bullet train service the following year, but the pandemic meant celebr…READ FULL ARTICLE
