The mascots of the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics in Japan were four small owls of different shapes.
This is the first time that four animals have been used as mascots for the Olympic Games. The four mascots are named Snowlets, each with a different name: Sukki, Nokki, Lekki, Tsukki, representing the four different elements of forest life: fire, wind, earth and water. The English prefixes of the two names add up to exactly spell Snowlet.
Meaning
In Japan, the owl is the embodiment of good luck and happiness. Owl can be written as "Fu Lao" in Japanese, which means a wealthy and long-lived old man. In addition, there is a saying in Japanese called "luck cage", which means to keep blessings in a cage and keep them with you.
This shows that the Japanese love the owl, and it is not surprising that they regard it as the mascot of the Winter Olympics.