When Japanese Twitter user Yuta Yoshida (@yutatatatata recently visited the Tohashira Shrine located near their family home in Hyogo prefecture, they may have found the cutest and most charming mascot ringing in the New Year yet: a charming mouse sculpture crafted from rice straw by local elderly residents that seems to be ushering visitors into the shrine.

As shown below, each new year the shrine displays of a beautifully crafted Chinese zodiac animal. As 2020 is the Year of the Rat (or mouse, given that that Japanese word "nezumi" can be used for either), a volunteer group of local senior citizens banded together once more to expertly build the shrine's new rodent guardian. The construction and design effort was led by 76-year old Shun Nonaka, and Yoshida writes that the gorgeously woven animals have been increasing hatsumoude (first shrine visit of the New Year) pilgrimages every year.

Hopefully the coming years bring even more awesome straw animal structures.