Would you buy anything SWEATY?

How about sweaty socks?

What really attracts you to a shop? Is it the brand name? The merchandise display? Location? Well what this store was hoping for is people who love sweat! One thing to note is that this is not a sports shop. If it sold Nike or Adidas sports wear maybe Sweat would be a catchy way to get people to shop here. But this shop sells home goods, accessories and other interior decorations and clothes.  Want a salad bowl from Sweat? How about a Sweat basket? No, maybe a personalized Sweat Underwear set? Sweat is all over it! They have everything you'd need. If you are ever in Aeon Jusco Mall in Japan, be sure to check them out. But don't run, you might break a sweat.
Only in Japan...

They Literally want you to get out of the "rat" race

They made Mice of Men

The picture above is a portion of a business card. It was given to me by a travel agent who apparently works for the Japan Mice Travel Agency.  

I am not sure if they meant it to say Japan Nice or maybe they cater to vermin too? I stopped for a second to think who would call their travel company Japan Mice. But then I stopped because I realized it's Japan. They can call it whatever they want because most Japanese people won't know or care.

Only in Japan...

Little Pricks! Want one?

Two pricks for the price of one!

Yes, the package is grammatically incorrect. It should be Little Pricks not Little Prick since there are two. But that is the least of their concern.

This is the line of small fluffy toys that are being sold across Japan in a craft shop. Mothers buy these little pricks for their kids. Then the kids take these little pricks to school to show off. The kid with the most little pricks in the class is then named Biggest Little Prick.

Only in Japan...

Yoda wants to do what?????

BOIL JAPAN. Always in motion is the future. Believe in your own power, you must. May the force be with Japan.

That is the concept of this poster. There are posters, billboards, TV spots with this theme all across Japan. What are they selling? Cup Ramen. At first I had no idea what this was about so just seeing Boil Japan made me cringe.  Now I kinda get it.

Why Yoda? Well he speaks backwards. Which is what Japanese is like compared to English. So I can see why they chose the character. And I guess Star Wars will always be popular so I can even see why a cup noodle company might want to cash in on the Star Wars fans.  But Boil Japan? Who thought up that slogan? And even if some Japanese ad exec. who has no idea about English just used Google translate to come up with this slogan, why did George Lucas approve this?

Boil Japan to me sounds like something North Korea would say when plotting ways to destroy their neighboring nation.  Hmm...

Only in Japan...

Shit Japanese people wear...

Color me purple!

I get that Japan is kinky. I get that sometimes they read Octopus tentacle porn and really like Cosplay but a bartender in a skin tight purple suit and a red strap on just doesn't seem reasonable to me.

If you watch Japanese TV than this would seem as normal as Oprah but when I want to go to a bar to relax and have a beer and this guy is serving me then I really gotta wonder.  But at least he was a nice guy. And I think he washed his hands before serving me. 

The Highschool I should have attended!

So one famous thing about the Japanese nightlife is the amount of host and hostess clubs available for business men and lonely women to visit so they can sit with a pretty looking well dressed person who serves them drinks and gets paid to flirt. Well, not only is this popular but so is themed hostess bars. For example if you are into nurses then there is a club for you. Whether you like school girls, office ladies, mature women, midgets, etc. there is a hostess/host bar out there for you. The picture above is of a hostess club catering to men who like either cute high school uniformed girls or naughty teachers. The name of the club is what really attracted me to this ad. T-back is Japanese-English for thongs. Maybe visit it if you are ever in Sapporo.

Do you want this all over your dishes?

I know people are skeptical about advertising and the subliminal messages that are added into everyday media but you can't get any more phallic than this.
This is a dish detergent that I am sure went over well with the obasan housewives all across Japan. Or should I say came all over.
Maybe in other colors the bottle might seem a little more...subtle but in pink the first thing I think of when I see this bottle is DIL-
What do you think?

Beating the heat! Unfashionably!

A human lamp!?

So summer is here. And like many countries Japan gets really hot and humid during the summer months. Usually Japanese people hide in underground malls, air conditioned spaces and generally stay out of the sun. However, this year because of the earthquake and energy crisis, Japan has had to find other ways to stay cool without using energy. So here are just some ways people survive the terrible heat.  The government has recommended companies switch to cool biz. This means men can work while wearing casual pants, short-sleeved shirts and no ties. But what about the housewives?

1. The ladies have decided to do what they usually do when they want to stay out of the sun; use sun umbrellas. This keeps their face out of the sun and provides the shade they need to stay cool.
2. Long thin gloves that go from your fingertips to your shoulders are also popular to keep from getting a tan. 
3. This year especially the trend is to buy giant metallic visors that look like you are part of a disco swat team. this covers your face completely from the sun's harmful UV rays.
4. A thin scarf like fabric which you insert frozen gel capsules goes around your neck and keeps it cool. It is quite helpful in keeping the humidity at bay.
5. And it wouldn't be Japan without some unbelievable technology that only the Japanese could figure out. This year the pharmacy's are selling out of a spray product that you spray on your clothes which somehow keeps your clothes cool and sweat free and detracts heat. Kind of like wearing a wet t-shirt without the discomfort and visible nipples. Pretty sweet.

How do you stay cool in the summer besides fans and air conditioners? Let me know.

Hitler's Moustache lives in Japan!

Hitler Thanks you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some people believe Hitler is still alive. Others believe the government has his brain frozen and being tested. Others believe his DNA was saved and lives in a test tube in a basement waiting to be cloned. Well, I have found his moustache. It is showing up in the weirdest places in Japan. As the picture shows above, it was at an Izakaya welcoming guests. It only stays for a short time and then disappears. No one can trace it and nobody knows where it will show up next.

I was at the zoo in Japan and decided to ride the kids motor car ride. And as you can see from the picture below, Hitler's moustache showed up policing the riders.

I believe Radrey found an old poster  with Hitler's moustache pouring beer at a pub. Have you seen Hitler's moustache?
Only in Japan..

Food on a stick!

Meat on sticks!

Every country has food on sticks. You can get kabobs all around the world. Corn Dogs are popular in North America. There is ice cream, lollipops, Popsicles and cotton candy. But japan seems to have everything possible on sticks.

Two girls one squid (or two)

Yaki-tori is a popular food in Japan which incorporates meat on sticks. Wooden sticks grilled with chicken, beef and pork are a popular salary man food after work with beer.  But Japan goes one step further and has tons of non-meat non-candy foods on sticks. Here are just a few:

• Fish
• Squid
• Sausages
• Mochi (rice cake)
• bananas
• bacon and asparagus
• cheese

Can you think of anything else on a stick that I missed?

Boys with bananas