Japanese mascots - Otosan, the SoftBank's famous dog

Since 2007, when he first appeared in the commercials of the Japanese telecommunications corporation SoftBank, Otosan became one of the most famous dogs in Japan. Otosan is not a CGI animation nor a puppet, he is a real-life 9 years old dog, his name is Kai-kun and he's a Hokkaidō-Inu, a breed declared since 1937 as a "rare species protected by law". Kai-kun also starred in a few TV drama series.

In the commercials, Otosan is the father (otosan in Japanese) of the Shirato Family, played with the voice of the actor Kin'ya Kitaōji. Because the series of commercials enjoyed a huge success, they became a constant presence in the Japanese television and there are now well over one hundred episodes featuring Otosan. You can watch some Otosan commercials on YouTube, the most recent episodes featuring Tommy Lee Jones in a funny Boss Coffee x Softbank crossover commercial...