A little back story before we get to the troubling center of this one so that you realize how very real a threat this is.

There’s a dentist in the Tokyo suburb of Hachioji who has become quite well known throughout the greater Tokyo area, not for his excellent dental work. It’s because of his advertising—and not his television, radio, or internet ads, but rather his billboard ads.

Billboards are a big deal in Japan, with signposts up just about everywhere, pouring out some kind of advertising at you. In the case of Kinuta Dental Clinic, they want you to know about their dental implant service. It’s their signature thing.

If you find yourself wondering how an advertisement for dental implants could be so culturally recognized, the answer is twofold:

First, the dentist’s real-life family name, Kinuta (きぬた), is basically the word “tanuki” (たぬき) backward. A tanuki is best described as a wild Japanese dog that looks just like a raccoon. So much so that they are referred to as “raccoon dogs.” Takuni are deeply woven into Japanese culture, and Kinuta has leaned heavily into this, making the creature his dental facility mascot. Some people even refer to him as “Tanuki Dentist.”

However, having a name that’s a humorous anagram isn’t enough to get Kinuta’s practice over the finish line and into infamy. What’s made him a household name is where he puts his billboard ads. And the answer to that is, everywhere.

Going to the train.

Inside the train.

Looking out of the train.

Driving in your car.

In this guy’s garden.

You cannot escape the Tanuki Dentist. Also, it appears he may fight you.

His face has become so famous that he sometimes drops any verbiage at all on the sign, because you already know what this is about.

Kinuta has publicly stated that putting up signs with his face on them has become a hobby. His signs can be found far and wide. Sometimes nowhere near his Hachioji office.

Recently, news broke surrounding a unique problem a Lawson’s convenience store was having. Located at a prime location in the town of Fujikawaguchiko in Yamanashi Prefecture near Mt. Fuji, they have traditionally attracted tourists, being that they are in just the right position to make it seem like Japan’s famous mountain is growing out of the top of the store. Here, take a look:

During the COVID pandemic, Japan closed its borders to the outside world. That meant that for three years, there was no tourism in Japan. Now, with borders fully open, Japan is seeing an unprecedented tourism boom. That means more people than ever are visiting this iconic Lawson’s to take an Instagramable picture of their own. And it’s causing big problems for the popular convenience store chain. According to the city, crowds are blocking traffic and becoming a nuisance.

Word of this situation has exploded across the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, and upon reaching the feed of Kinuta himself, the famous dentist has officially put forward a solution:

Translation: “If the owner of the Lawson wants it, we can install a Kinuta Dentist ad on top of the building [to block the view]. I’m serious about this.”

He even included some mock-ups to drive the point home of how very effective his mug would be at keeping away those pesky tourists.

The city of Fujikawaguchiko has yet to respond to Kinuta’s offer. However, they have voiced an intent to erect a large black net over the store to block any potential view of the mountain for future visitors.

We can’t decide which option would be worse, a big black net, or the larger-than-life visage of Tanuki Dentist. One thing is certain, though. Regardless of what is put up to block the view of Mt. Fuji, there are still 359 degrees of other potential views of Japan’s national treasure, so people won’t be missing much, either way.