Japari Park, Lucky-san (Gokoku Region)

Tanuki are canids that live mostly in the forest. Compared to dogs and foxes, they have longer torsos and shorter limbs, which are an adaptation to a forest life involving entering holes and passing through trees.

Tanuki are basically solitary animals, timid with little aggression, who rarely bark and prefer to avoid other tanuki in their home range over getting into territorial disputes—a harmonious existence. It is said that there are even few fights between males courting the same female.

Tanuki have a habit of sharing their latrines with others; these are called tamefun. Through a tamefun, a tanuki can announce its presence to others in the area while learning about their circumstances, so they are said to function as a kind of communication space for tanuki.