UFO catcher

In Japan, they call the prize claw machines UFO catchers.  I had never heard of this terminology, but that's what everyone says here.  Dan and I wasted a bunch of money trying to win a large Rilakkuma before I convinced him that this was their ruse.  We did see one guy who was very very skilled, though.  He goes around from machine to machine and spots the likely candidates and then wins them!  

There are all sorts of UFO catchers here: from the usual 'catch the object' one, to the ones where you 'push the object through some metal bars,' or 'loop the ring around the object.'  Each machine gives you a hint on how to win the prize.

Anyway, we still couldn't win anything, but my friend showed me the real trick.  You can ask the person who works there to move the prize for you!  Yup, they will move it to a more 'favorable' location and then you can try and impress your girlfriend from there.  How come everyone doesn't do this?  Most people have more pride, apparently.  Not us.  ;)  

Here is Rilakkuma, my prize from the UFO catcher.  My friend won him for me after asking the employee to move him to a better location.  :)

cute characters

Sanrio and San-X do some amazing marketing here in Japan.  I was familiar with characters like Hello Kitty, but there are so many more of them now!  Have you ever heard of kogepan?  He is a burnt red bean bun who tries to find acceptance in the bakery filled with normal red bean buns. He drinks milk as beer and gets drunk often!  

Another funny bunch of popular characters now are beans: red beans, green beans, black beans. (Sorry, I can't find their names anywhere online.)  Beans!  Whoever thought to popularize beans into stuffed animals has a pretty good imagination. 

My own person favorite is Rilakkuma!  I didn't know this, but Rilakkuma means "relax" + "bear" in Japanese...so he is a very lazy bear.  He's always depicted as sleeping or laying down.  If not relaxing, he is eating his favorite foods: mochi, doughnuts, and pancakes!  He is truly a bear after my heart!

Apparently, San-X comes out with a new character every month.  Do all these characters come with a book or TV show or something?  Or are they just characters?  

Also, can someone explain Sanrio vs. San-X?  Are they different brands?  I can't seem to locate anything definitive online.