Over 200 local mascots from across Japan gather in Shiga Pref.

A visitor to a gathering of local mascot characters poses for photos in Hikone, Shiga Prefecture, western Japan, on Oct. 17, 2015, together with two Melon Kuma figures representing Hokkaido's Yubari city. Hokkaido is famous for wild bears and Yubari is known as a major producer of cantaloupes. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo