Focusing on the rainy season, the yokai "Terupon" that brings coolness with rain ranks first among "Oshi Yokai"

The Museum of Yokai (Director: Chuhei Yagyu) announced the voting results for the "POP YOKAI Audition (First Half)", a participatory project held during the current special exhibition "POP YOKAI Exhibition". In the vote for the 54 modern yokai featured in the first half of the exhibition, a total of 5,024 votes were cast, with "Terupon" (407 votes) chosen as the number one yokai.

"Terupon" is a yokai that brings rain from within its body to help people suffering from the heat, thereby lowering the temperature. It attracts attention as a seasonal being that depicts rain as "something that brings coolness" from the rainy season, when people are concerned about the weather, through the height of summer when the heat becomes intense.

The Museum of Yokai is currently holding the second half of the "POP YOKAI Exhibition". Modern yokai different from those in the first half are featured, and the "POP YOKAI Audition (Second Half)" is also being held, allowing visitors to choose their own "Oshi Yokai".

Artwork Title: Terupon, Artist: Kohei Matsumoto

About "Terupon", the Yokai that Ranked First

"Terupon", which won first place, is a yokai that brings rain from within its body to lower the temperature when people are suffering from the heat during the summer. If necessary, it rotates the ball at its base to send out wind, and smiles happily when it sees people enjoying themselves.

"Terupon" is the perfect yokai for the rainy season, when people are concerned about rain or clear skies, and for the height of summer when the heat becomes intense. The way it depicts rain not as something merely gloomy, but as something that alleviates the heat and brings coolness and smiles to people, conveys a modern sense of humor and kindness characteristic of contemporary yokai.

Its approachable name, adorable appearance, and its setting of gently supporting people in their troubles led to the support of many visitors.

Announcement of "POP YOKAI Audition (First Half)" Results

In this project, visitors vote to choose their favorite yokai from the exhibited works in the "POP YOKAI Audition". In the first half, votes were cast for a total of 54 works, resulting in 5,024 total votes.

[POP YOKAI Audition (First Half) Final Results TOP 10] 1st Place: Terupon - 407 votes 2nd Place: Ochanomito - 390 votes 3rd Place: Senme Onigiri (Chimeo Onigiri) - 284 votes 4th Place: Soramimi - 276 votes 5th Place: Shunpuryu - 247 votes 6th Place: Gaps in the Timeline - 176 votes 7th Place: Yokai Iine! Iine! - 165 votes 8th Place: Botanbo - 160 votes 9th Place: Ki Tamago - 156 votes 10th Place: Rojin - 152 votes

Final Results TOP 10 of POP YOKAI Audition (First Half)

Attractiveness of Modern Yokai Revealed by Voting Results

The top rankings included yokai with approachable silhouettes, designs that blend cuteness and creepiness, and those inspired by modern daily life and sensibilities.

First place, "Terupon", is a yokai with a gentle setting that alleviates heat with rain and brings joy to people by sending wind. Second place, "Ochanomito", is characterized by its cuteness peeking out from a teacup and its friendly character that invites "Won't you be my friend?". Third place, "Senme Onigiri", expresses the old saying "If you waste food, your eyes will go blind" as a "creepy cute" yokai. Fourth place, "Soramimi", is a yokai with an animalistic form based on the familiar phenomenon of "mishearing". Fifth place, "Shunpuryu", features a unique concept that interprets spring breezes as the work of a dragon, along with exquisite craftsmanship.

The results showed that both works with high empathy that convey their meaning at first glance, and works with cute or beautiful designs, garnered support, revealing the diverse appeal of yokai born in the modern era.

"POP YOKAI Audition (Second Half)" is Currently Underway

The Museum of Yokai is currently holding the second half of the "POP YOKAI Exhibition", and the "POP YOKAI Audition (Second Half)" is underway with yokai different from those in the first half. Will a popular yokai emerge that surpasses the first-half champion "Terupon"? Please visit the venue to find your own "Oshi Yokai".

About the "POP YOKAI Exhibition"

The "POP YOKAI Exhibition" is a special exhibition held to commemorate the first anniversary of the publication of the book "POP YOKAI: Contemporary Character Art of Japan", published by the French publisher RockBook, which features the Museum of Yokai's works for the world. Over 100 modern yokai featured in the book are exhibited in two parts, the first and second halves, with the second half currently on display.

[POP YOKAI Exhibition Overview] Period: 2025/12/26 (Fri) - 2026/11/30 (Mon) First Half: 2025/12/26 (Fri) - 2026/5/28 (Thu) Second Half: 2026/5/29 (Fri) - 2026/11/30 (Mon) Venue: Museum of Yokai, Building 3, 2F

Reference: Approximately 100 newly created yokai works unveiled! Special Exhibition "POP YOKAI Exhibition" to promote YOKAI to the world

A bilingual Japanese-English yokai art book featuring over 100 newly created yokai.

The book "POP YOKAI: Contemporary Character Art of Japan", published in September 2024 by the French publisher Rockbook, is a yokai art book that introduces Japan's unique yokai culture and newly created yokai figures by contemporary artists in bilingual Japanese and English.

The book features over 100 yokai from the Museum of Yokai's collection in full color. It allows readers to enjoy how yokai, passed down through generations as folklore, are reinterpreted in modern times and reborn as new characters, with a variety of visuals. Supervised by yokai researcher Masanobu Kagawa, the book also touches upon the background of yokai culture, conveying Japan's "YOKAI" culture to the world.

Book Information

Title: "POP YOKAI: Contemporary Character Art of Japan" Price: Reference Price: 4,500 yen (Free price as it is a foreign book.) Release Date: September 18, 2024 Format: B5 size / 208 pages ISBN: 978-2-9589451-0-7 Publisher: Rockbook SAS (France Base) Editor: Akiko Iwamoto Author: Museum of Yokai Supervisor: Masanobu Kagawa Translator/English Supervisor: Cathy Hirano Language: Bilingual Japanese and English Museum of Yokai Web Shop (BASE) https://mononokedo.thebase.in/items/90380997

[About the Museum of Yokai]

A museum located in the maze town of Shodoshima, Kagawa Prefecture, exhibiting and preserving over 1000 yokai figures and paintings. Visitors can explore four old houses scattered throughout the town using a smartphone guide app, with a surprising secret mechanism at the end. It allows visitors to enjoy learning about yokai from their origins to modern times.

"Yokai (=YOKAI) to the World"

The ability to live flexibly while accepting absurd events brings a small harmony to a diverse society. If yokai culture, which fosters such tolerance, spreads, the world may become a little more peaceful than it is now. Through yokai, the Museum of Yokai conveys the spirit of diversity and tolerance that lives in Japan to the world.

Museum of Yokai, 398 Ko, Tonosho-cho, Shozu-gun, Kagawa Prefecture, 0879-62-0221, mail@meipam.net

[About the Operating Company: Shodoshima Healthy Land Co., Ltd.]

Shodoshima Healthy Land Co., Ltd., based in Shodoshima, Setouchi, is engaged in the research, development, manufacturing, and sales of products that promote physical and mental well-being, utilizing the "tree of life," the olive, starting with olive cultivation. The company aims to achieve "Hyakunen Tokowaka" (eternal youth for 100 years), where everyone remains mentally and physically youthful throughout their lives, and strives to contribute to society through the power of olives. In recent years, based on the concept of "Longevity," the company has been proposing sustainable lifestyles that include mental, physical, and cultural richness.

* "Hyakunen Tokowaka" is a concept advocated by our company.

Company Name: Shodoshima Healthy Land Co., Ltd.

Location: 2721-1 Ko, Tonosho-cho, Shozu-gun, Kagawa Prefecture

President and Representative Director: Toshihiro Yagyu

Established: 1985

HP: https://shl-olive.co.jp/