Hello, Please

A menagerie of mascots and characters inhabit the islands of Japan, cheerfully guiding citizens through all sorts of daily activities and situations. "Hello, Please!" collects photographs of hundreds of the these cute (or kawaii) creatures in their native habitat, which is virtually everywhere: from public street signs to supermarket shelves, in doctor's offices, on tax forms and instruction manuals-even emblazoned on the sides of Tokyo's fire and police emergency vehicles. Authors Matt Alt and HirokoYoda explore the cultural context of these ubiquitous, hard-working critters and their relationship to anime and manga, commercial characters like Hello Kitty, and the cult of cute, while introducing a host of adorable new best friends you never new you had.