巫女 ちゃん
Miko-chan
Miko is a shrine maiden cloth doll, found by Kiku living in the Tokyo Metro Lost and Found Center in Ueno Station, Tokyo. For a long time she had no memory of how she came to be there, or of her life before, but one day she confided in her new family at the Bamboo Bathhouse, telling them her sad story.
She is Kiku’s best friend, accompanying him on his adventures, and hoping one day to find a role for herself.
ドキドキだるま
DokiDoki Daruma
DokiDoki Daruma is a grouchy and mischievous Daruma doll. His belly kanji is ‘kokoro’, meaning ‘mood, spirit, emotions, heart’. He embodies all of these things.
He is sensitive and emotional, and his mood can change in a heartbeat. If he feels frightened, threatened or agitated (which happens a lot), his heart begins to pound harder and harder until he explodes with a POP!
Once this happens, he multiplies into hundreds of similar looking dolls, so that you cannot find him easily – there is only one way to know the real one, and that is to look for the correct kanji on his belly.
If the early signs of agitation are noticed, explosions can sometimes be avoided by feeding him quickly with konpeito candy, which is his favourite food and makes him fall asleep.
ボスパンダ
Boss Panda
Gentle giant with a secret past. Now runs a local sento and helps his community. Just don’t ask him about the tattoos.
He oversees the operations of the Tokyo Crows (東京烏), a much misunderstood network of the city’s birds who maintain a watchful eye over the hidden citizens of Tokyo. They often come under attack from humans who see them as pests.
Boss Panda is also the guardian of the mischievous Takenoko – the spirits of baby bamboo shoots who get into all sorts of trouble.
ママ コウジン
Mama Kōjin
Mama Kōjin was one of the first hidden characters of Tokyo that Kiku and Miko-chan met, when they visited Oji for the fox parade on New Year’s Eve 2014.
An ancient goddess of the kitchen and doll guardian, she resided in a young enoki tree (Chinese Hackberry/ Nettle tree) on the grounds of a shrine, and gave the friends the details of the Bamboo Bathhouse as somewhere safe to stay. It was customary for people to bring her broken dolls for a proper burial within the roots of the enoki tree, and at first she thought that Miko-chan had come to her for burial. On learning about the friends journey, she asked Boss Panda if she could also come to live at the Bathhouse and watch over them, offering guidance where needed. She is extremely helpful with cooking, food and folklore and with her six hands she is always busy. She wears a wooden otoshi buta on her head, which she can use to cover cooking pots when needed. Miko-chan once heard a rumour that Mama Kōjin also has three faces, but only shows these when angry.
