Penguins of Shirahama
Located two hours south of the bustling city of Osaka, Shirahama is a modest resort town of bubbling hot springs and white sand beaches. That was where my fiancé and I found ourself one hot, sunny weekend in July, as we celebrated our birthdays (his is the 2nd, mine the 5th). We had just explored the Sandanbeki Cave and were browsing the gift shop when I discovered Shirapen! With a face modeled after the shape of Shirarahama beach, Shirapen is a little blue penguin who promotes the city of Shirahama. The shop was selling pens, keychains, and buttons. I happily bought a keychain.
Shirapen wasn't the only penguin I found hanging out in Shirahama. At the top of Senjojiki Rock Plateau, I found a wooden standee of a spotted penguin. Later, more spotted penguins were discovered at Shirahama Station. I inquired about my curious discovery on Twitter, and immediately one of my friends hunted down an article (Japanese) from 2015 of an art exhibit featuring the spotted penguins. It looks like some penguins remained after the event!
