Tanuki (commonly transcribed as "tanooki") is the Japanese word for a type of canid that lives in Asia (and now Europe), commonly referred to in English as "raccoon dogs". In Japanese mythology, tanuki are said to have magic powers such as Voluntary Shapeshifting (usually performed with a leaf on their forehead). Pranksters and tricksters, Tanuki spirits are generally fat and jolly, like to drum on their bellies (a sound which has the Japanese onomatopoeia "ponpoko"), and are associated.