Melon-boys

The Japanese word for "baby wild boar" is "uribô". That literally means "melon-boy". It comes from the fact that baby wild pigs are striped ... like melons.



Melon-boys at play. (Picture from Ino-Park ...)

Culinary link 2

I found this more advanced variation on the "baked dough pig" on a Japanese blog:



Unfortunately I can't read much Japanese, except "buhibuhi" (oink oink), "raburii~!" (lovely) and "kobutachan" (little piglet), so I don't know what the filling is made of. But this blog has a lot of other stuff related to interesting food ...

BUTA = happiness

My sister was recently in Japan and took a picture of this advertisement.



It says:

"Drug store's. D.S.Club.
We very much enjoy[ed] relaxing in the serenity of mother nature.
Watching a happy BUTA hobble along the beach.
We immediately fell in love with the tropical island and the BUTA.
It happened in January 1985.
The BUTA is know[n] as a symbol of happiness.
"BUTA", the logo on our clothes, represents the happiness we feel in our hearts.
We hope to share this happiness with those who wear our clothes."

'Buta' is the Japanese word for pig.