A Lucky Find at Hankyu Nishinomiya Gardens: A Kesaran Pasaran

In front of the Plus Building at Hankyu Nishinomiya Gardens, we found a mysterious creature said to bring good luck: “Kesaran Pasaran.”

Can you spot where it is?

Here it is on the map↓

The address is 8-25 Takamatsu-cho, Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture.

It’s hard to see, but it looks like a fluttery feather.

What Is Kesaran Pasaran?

Since many people may be wondering what Kesaran Pasaran even is, here’s a quick explanation.

It’s known as a white, fluffy ball of fuzz shaped kind of like a rabbit’s tail.

They’re said to range in size from a soybean to a chicken egg, and finding one is supposed to bring good luck. Some say they eat white face powder（oshiroi: something like baby powder） and multiply. Seriously?

Apparently, there’s still no scientific explanation for them, and they’re sometimes described as a kind of yokai. Around the Edo period, when major volcanic eruptions were happening one after another in the mountains, stories spread of “hair” falling from the sky, which came to be known as “Kesaran Pasaran.”

More realistic theories say they might be clumps of plant pappus gathered together, or feathers and fluff regurgitated by birds of prey such as owls.

We weren’t really sure what it was, so just to be safe, we put it back where it was lol around 12/15

If you’re heading to Hankyu Nishinomiya Gardens, be sure to check in front of the Plus Building. You might just run into a lucky Kesaran Pasaran. You can keep it, or just look at it