Son 'too adorable,' Japan dad spends $700,000 advertising his photos
What's the story
To let the city know how adorable his son is, a Tokyo real estate company owner has reportedly spent 100 million yen (approximately $700,000) plastering his son's photos across the city.
His smiling face can be seen on footbridge banners, parking signs, buses, and even convenience store windows.
The boy, known as Yu-kun, has become a local celebrity in the Adachi area of Tokyo, earning the nickname "The Landmark Kid" from residents.
Father's pride
Adorable photos, funny captions
The boy isn't a child star or model but simply the son of a proud father.
"My son was just too adorable when he was little. I thought, all of Tokyo should know," said the father.
To make that happen, he turned Yu-kun's funniest childhood photos into an advertising campaign, creating over 10 different versions so far.
Memories
Persistent father
The most famous image shows Yu-kun crying after being shocked by a street performer, with his face scrunched up and tears flowing down his cheeks.
This was turned by his father into a two-meter-tall advertisement and displayed at the entrance of an underground station.
Even now, the father regularly asks photographers to take new "cute" shots of his son and says that he plans to feature recent photos to promote new real estate projects.
Son's reaction
Yu-kun, now 16, embarrassed by photos
Yu-Kun, however, does not like the newfound celebrity status.
"I do not like it. I really do not," he said, adding, "If you really think I am that cute, why not just transfer that 100 million yen into my bank account?
"People might not recognize my baby photos, but now that I am older, it is just embarrassing," he said.
Internet reaction
Reaction to father's love
The story was first reported by the Japanese television show Monday Late Show and amused netizens in Japan as well as China.
The SCMP reported one online observer as saying, "As the old Chinese proverb goes, 'A father's love is like a mountain,' but this Japanese dad's love is a bit too heavy, on billboards!"