Jingisukan, a local dish made by grilling lamb, mutton, and other lamb meats together with vegetables in an iron pot, is beloved by many Hokkaido residents. But is Hokkaido, where Jingisukan is deeply rooted as a soul food, a dangerous place for sheep? A post featuring adorable stuffed sheep expressing this sense of crisis has been gaining attention.

To the sheep going to Hokkaido, I'm trying to convince myself that I won't become Genghis Khan.

Quoted from @junkfoodopera's post

The poster is JUNK FOOD OPERA, also known as Hataya, a "heart-pounding plush toy creator/manga artist" and the creator of these cute sheep. This post has been viewed over 10,000 times, and has become a hot topic due to the cuteness of the sheep.

Hataya is a stuffed animal artist living in Osaka who handcrafts and sells stuffed animals of original characters. He also has a manga series. We spoke to Hataya about the situation at the time of this post.

Will we be able to eat it in Hokkaido?! The sheep look worried.

--The sheep heading to Hokkaido are so cute. What was the situation like?

Hataya: We were just making and displaying stuffed animals to exhibit at an event at Tsutaya Bookstore in Ebetsu in September. When the sheep (Hitsujikka-chan) heard that we were going to Hokkaido, they looked worried and said, "Maybe we'll end up being eaten as Genghis Khan..." so I was trying to reassure them that everything would be okay!

--This is one of the works that will be exhibited at events in Hokkaido. The Quokka is one of Hataya's most famous works, but the Sheepkka is also cute!

Hataya: Thank you very much. We plan to make it a pop-up store selling a variety of stuffed toys, including Sheep and Quokka.

--Don't worry, you won't be eating such a cute sheep as Genghis Khan (laughs). Have you ever been to Hokkaido before?

Hataya: I love Hokkaido, and in fact, in February of this year I even went from Osaka to Monbetsu to observe the drift ice.

Hataya: I'm really looking forward to this opportunity to meet customers in person in Ebetsu! We'll start selling the plush toys in advance from September 10th, and will be holding a one-day only requested illustration signing event on September 13th. This will be an event where we will hand out illustrations and autographs requested by customers on the spot, so please come and join us!

The POP UP STORE will be open from September 10th to September 15th!

"JUNK FOOD OPERA POPUP in Hokkaido ~ Quokka-chan Goes to Hokkaido ~" will be held at Ebetsu Tsutaya Bookstore from September 10th to September 15th. Why not come and meet cute stuffed animals such as Sheepkka-chan and Quokka-chan?