In an extravagant attempt to boost tourism, the small picturesque town of Oji in the Nara Prefecture of Japan has found itself a new mascot, not the big headed furry characters you're used to seeing at football games, but a quadcopter doggy drone named Yukimaru. Dressed up in a bandana collar and an adorable black top-hat, Yukimaru made his commercial debut in a promotional video released by the city this month that sees the flying pup zipping around some of Oji's hottest attractions like the Daruma Temple, the Yamato River, and Mount Myojin.
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According to a legend paraphrased in a RocketNews24 article, a regent and politician of the Asuka period named Prince Shotoku once came across a Buddhist monk in Oji named Daruma who was pretending to be a beggar. Despite Shotoku's effort to feed and clothe the monk he ended up dying. Although the Prince gave Daruma a proper burial, , when he went to visit the tomb, the monk's body had vanished. In honor of this event the city built the Daruma Temple which includes a shrine dedicated to Prince Shotoku's pet dog. The name of that dog is Yukimaru.
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