Hello, Please!: Very Helpful Super Kawaii Characters from Japan

by Hiroko Yoda and Matt Alt

A menagerie of mascots and characters inhabit the islands of Japan, cheerfully guiding citizens through all sorts of daily activities and situations. "Hello, Please " collects photographs of hundreds of the these cute (or "kawaii") creatures in their native habitats, which are virtually everywhere: from public street signs to supermarket shelves, in doctor'soffices and instruction manualseven emblazoned on the sides of Tokyo's emergency vehicles...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0811856747
• ISBN13: 9780811856744
• Release Date: September 2007
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (CA)
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.74 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 4.7" x 5.9"

Customer Reviews

Gives you the big picture.

The immediate and obvious appeal of this book is seeing so many of these mascot characters "in the wild," but more importantly, the book provides context, explaining how Japanese aesthetics and traditions have affected the widespread adoption of these characters throughout the years. I really recommend this to anyone who is interested in Japanese culture and/or cartooning.

So freakin' supercute

Okay, I admit this isn't the most eloquent review, but I'm giving this book a shout-out because it is so amusing, adorable, funny. The authors classify these cartoony characters into five sections with an intro for each and an overall introduction prefacing it all. The intros were somewhat informative, not terribly deep in explanation but deep enough. I liked the variety and quantity of images they included and how their captions were set in a solid-color version of the character they are describing on that page. Great gift idea for anyone who likes Japanese pop art and cute, bubbly cartoons in general.

Awesome book! More Hello, Please!

This is a great coffee table or gift book. Awesome photographs, beautiful design and insightful text. Totally captures the quirkiness of this aspect of Japanese pop culture...