Tama (six-year-old female)
“This photo captures Tama yawning during a break on our walk. Her expression is just irresistibly cute.”
(Rui Sakamoto – Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture)
Chachamaru (one-year-old female)
“She brings us peace every day, making us relaxed and happy. Thank you for coming into our lives, Chachamaru! And thank you to her mama for giving birth to her!”
(Rika Sakamoto – Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture)
Yuki (two-year-old female)
“Yuki was born in Akita City but now lives near Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine in Fukuoka Prefecture. When we visit the shrine, she gets tons of ‘So cute!’ from foreign tourists. It makes me so happy. To her mom and dad back in Akita – Yuki is doing great!”
(Arisa Otsuka – Chikushino City, Fukuoka Prefecture)
From left: Tochi (ten-year-old male), Ten (eleven-year-old male), Mitsuki (eleven-year-old female), Fujimaru (eleven-year-old female)
“All of them make up the high-senior squad, aged 10 and up. Fujimaru (pictured right) was diagnosed with ‘Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada Syndrome (a rare autoimmune disease)’ at age two. Later, a blood disorder was also found, and she was given a prognosis of limited time. Eight years later, she’s still with us, living peacefully in nature.”
(Megumi Ishizuka – Tochigi Prefecture)
Stella (seven-month-old female)
“She’s obsessed with this frog plush toy and brings it to us first thing in the morning. She looked so adorable holding it like a baby, and I just had to snap a photo.”
(Mitsue Dufresne – Fujimi City, Saitama Prefecture)
Kotaro (three-year-old male)
“He entered the adult male division at the 96th Ibaraki Prefecture Branch Exhibition and received second place overall – ‘Best of Class.’ He once suffered from a severe skin condition, so seeing him standing tall on the stage after all his treatment brought me to tears.”
(Tomoko Shibanuma – Adachi Ward, Tokyo)
