The Shisa

In Okinawa there are the Shisa. They are everywhere you go; outside of buildings like the BX and commisary, and now in our house too. The Shisa are dog/lion hybrids that honestly looked like dragons to me at first. They are guardians that ward off evil spirits and keep the good ones in. So naturally I bought some for our home. One for the night stand and a larger one for the shelf in the stairway. They also always come in pairs. The one on the right with his mouth open is the one who "scares" off evil spirits, and the one on the left with her mouth closed welcomes the good ones to stay. They can also be bought everywhere that sells somethings. I found several stands in the BX that sells variations of them and some in the BX main store as well. I assume they are as easily found off base.