Toilet Manners

I got this link from a friend today, a $19 gadget that emits white noise in the restroom. She knows I’m paranoid about carrying out private things in public places, so this battery-operated gizmo helps lessen the embarrassment.

Most female visitors to Japan have come across the original ‘oto-hime’ (literally, ‘sound princess’). It’s fixed into the stalls of most upstanding Japanese restrooms, and at the push of a button it plays the sound of a flushing toilet. The portable version of this gadget is called ‘eco-otome,’ stressing the fact that using this thing can save gallons of water women will otherwise flush down as white noise.

I can’t understand why the ‘oto-hime’ is such a hit in Japan, yet hasn’t found a home here in the U.S. Then again, women here aren’t nearly as self-conscious about what they do behind closed stalls. In Japan on the other hand, once you hear the woman next door drowning out her bodily sounds (#1, 2 and/or 3, for the record), you’re compelled to do the same. Etiquette is contagious!

It’d be neat to start the trend over here. Maybe this Christmas, I’ll buy every female friend one of these gadgets and urge them to use it. Next thing you know, women across the country will be using it. Save a flush, save the world! \(^o^)/

Himawari

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I *Heart* Chocolate

It’s that time of year when Japanese women contemplate what to get for the men in their life. So what do they give? CHOCOLATE!

Valentine’s Day is yet another occasion to sell, sell, sell. Jumping on V-Day fever, chocolate shops get inventive with their creations. Think animal-shaped cakes, multi-colored ganache cubes, and creamy morsels sprinkled with matcha green tea powder. Even if you’re not a fan of cacao, your taste buds will force you to take a bite

For those extra-special men, most women forgo store-bought treats and work their magic in the kitchen, melting chocolate chips over a double-pot boiler and cooling it in a heart-shaped frame. I saw a flyer on Don Quijote’s site that offers deals on hand-mixers, fondue sets, chocolate fountains and food scales. Just looking at it made me want to get in on the action and whip up a bowl of velvety ganache. Though I’d probably eat it myself instead of giving it away. ^^

A box of homemade chocolates is far more precious than store chocolates because it takes time and effort to make. “Kokoro wo komete” (‘from the heart’) is the phrase often used. A while back, I was playing this one dating sim for Nintendo DS, Tokimeki Memorial, where I could either buy the boy I liked a box of chocolates or make it. If I made it myself, I was nearly guaranteed he’d ask me out. Haha! My stylus pen got a good workout stirring that virtual bowl of chocolate! \(^o^)/

Himawari

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A Sock for All Occasions

Japanese socks are a gift from fashion heaven. Not only are they puppy-dog cute, scientists have figured out ways to make socks highly-functional — absorbing sweat, softening skin and keeping you from slipping on your butt. It’s amazing!:

Anti-slip Socks

The bumps on these socks aren’t just for decoration. They’re there to keep you from crashing and burning as you race your brother across mom’s waxy kitchen floor. They’re anti-slip socks, which in Japan are important since so many houses have hardwood flooring and steep wooden staircases. Made from polyurethane material, these pedi-loafers will always keep you standing.

Anti-bloating Socks

Sexy calves! That’s the promise this product makes. Here in the U.S. it doesn’t seem as much of a concern, but in Japan most girls are aware that high-heels and cold weather will bloat your legs beyond the point of recognition. These sleek black socks use the circulation-stimulating germanium (the mineral, not a flower) to help slim them back to shape.

Ankle-warming Socks

Only one pair to keep you warm? Throw on another! Made of 100% silk, this hot number can be pulled up to your knees or scrunched to your ankles. Either way, you’re looking cute there.

Heel-softening Socks

For those who suffer from ashy skin, here’s the sock for you. Dual-layer technology keeps your feet nice and toasty while preventing unnecessary abrasion. They’re a little thicker than the rest, but softer feet I’ll risk the shame. Sock it to me! \(^o^)/

Himawari

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Lucky Charms for the New Year

Around New Years I like decorating my apartment with auspicious little trinkets. It’s silly superstition, but I still like believing.

Right now, I have a tiger gazing at me. I made him from origami. It’s the year of the Tiger, and although it’s not my particular zodiac sign, I want the luck of this ferocious creature on my side:

Across Japan, most households decorate their New Years mantel with a heap of kagami mochi:

It’s a mound of chewy rice cakes topped with a winter tangerine. Japanese lore dictates that mochi represents a purified body and soul, and the succession of mochi represents the family-generations that come and go; so it’s about starting anew, but respecting the old. Though just like people, mochi gets moldy after a while, so watch out!

Another fun thing to have around is o-mamori:

You can get it at the local shrine to help ward off evil, whether it be a car accident, illness or bad grades at school. I keep mine in my wallet, and even though you’re technically supposed to throw it away by the end of the year, mine still keeps evil at bay.

Here’s to a new year of JOY and SUCCESS! HAPPY 2010!! \(^o^)/

Himawari

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Lucky Bags for the New Year!

Americans have Black Friday. Japanese people have ’Lucky Bag’ day, a time when you can pay $100 to get $500 worth of merchandise!

It starts on New Years Day. Store clerks line up dozens of bags on tabletops for shoppers to snatch. Some cost $10. Others cost $100. Each bag is sealed shut, so the big question is, “What’s in the bag?”

‘Fukubukuro’ (lucky bags) are a great way for stores to get rid of their year-end stock. Of course, the implication is that you might not want what’s in the bag. In which case, eBay it!

On flickr.com, you can see what people ended up getting:

This one is from one of my favorite dessert shops, Mister Donut.

And this is from a home-accessories store called D&Motels Store.

Lucky bags are such a hit that lots of stores now offer online reservations, and even that goes quickly! Some waitlists start as early as November. Personally, I question the allure of getting something you may not need, but obviously there’s a huge appeal. It’s like a Christmas gift, wrapped all pretty but whose contents are completely unknown. The anticipation is 80% of the fun.

American stores could learn a thing or two from Japan, so that when Black Friday comes around we’ll have more to look forward to! \(^0^)/

Himawari

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Japan’s Top Products of 2009

Cheap and eco-friendly. That’s how I’d describe most of Japan’s ‘hit products’ for 2009.

Japanese advertising agency Dentsu surveys consumers every year and this is what was abuzz this year:

1. Hybrid vehicles
2. Flu masks
3. Low-priced domestic fashions
4. Vehicles eligible for tax reductions and eco-vehicle purchasing subsidies
5. Eco-point energy-saving home appliances
6. ETC (electronic toll collection) system
7. Digital broadcasting-equipped widescreen flat-panel TVs
8. Electric vehicles
9. Private brand products
10. B-grade products

Of course, buying a new car was heavy on people’s minds in 2009. Back in June, the Japanese government started a ‘cash for clunkers’ program where consumers could receive $2,800 if they turn an old car (at least 13-years old) in for a new one. And if they chose an electric, hybrid or natural-gas car then they wouldn’t have to pay for weight and purchase taxes – a $1,000 savings!

And we all know why flu masks were big this year. When I visited Japan in May, I ended up buying a dozen of them because I was sick and everyone assumed I carried deadly diseases by default of being American. Luckily, there’s some really cool ‘ninja’ masks out there.

‘ETC card’ was the buzzword of the summer when people hit the road for their family vacation. Japanese highways are riddled with toll roads, so when they started issuing the ‘all-you-can-drive for $10’ pass, people made a mad rush for them. Makes me glad California roads are free.

And when we’re trying to cut costs, there’s always private-brand products, aka, store brands (i.e., Archer Farms at Target, O Organics at Safeway chains). They’re reasonable in price and quality, but they’re hardly advertized so few people know about them. Yet, this year, they were flying off the shelves.

Looking back, it’s been another year to keep your wallet locked in a safety deposit box. Next year, I want to see cooler things on the list like ‘robot butler’ and ‘invisible jet.’ Come on, Japan! \(^_^)/

Himawari

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Clean-eatin’ Ramen

Here’s a new one for you: the ramen fork!

It’s great for people who can’t hold two sticks between their fingers. All you do is jab and twirl.

Of course you’re wondering, why would Japanese people need this if they already know how to use chopsticks? Well, the other advantage to using the $8 fork is that you can eat noodles in a gentle, lady-like way. In other words, no slurping!

We’ve all heard that inhaling your noodles shows you really like what you’re eating. But when you’re coming from the office wearing your favorite white button-up, you gotta worry what sort of nasty stains you’ll be taking back to work.

Fuji TV’s “Mezamashi Terebi” (a morning info-tainment show) conducted an experiment showing how fewer stains you get with the fork. First, they had a man slurp up a bowl of noodles with a pair of chopsticks. With a slow-cam to document the process, you can see the noodles flicking the oil-based soup all over the place. Then he switched to the fork. The ramen soup ended up splashing less than half the time!

The other benefit is that it could help Japan with its wooden chopstick crisis. With rapid deforestation going on in China, picking up metal instead of wooden will do the world a lot of good.

I’d imagine people would be happy using this tool on spaghetti, too. I think it’s safe to say most people have a hard time not slurping the last noodle or two. It’s a skill most people have yet to acquire. To them I say RAMEN FORK! \(^O^)/

Himawari

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The Miracle Tool

Beautiful ladies of the world, all your dreams have come true with one product: the Twin Elenizer PRO!

The name is a mouthful, but the gadget gets to the source of your skin worries. Just press it against your face and – through the power of ions and ultra-sound waves – your skin will turn pearly smooth.

Priced at $250, the Twin Elenizer is one of Rakuten’s top-selling items. I found it while searching for Japanese skin creams. Lately, I’ve been a little worried because the sun spots I developed over the summer haven’t gone away. And I swear my cheeks are giving way to gravity. Age has something to do with it. So now I’m on a mission to restore my once blemish-free skin.

According to the site, ion-fused pulses help restore the skin’s elasticity and cleans out dirty pores. The ultra-sound waves make it easier (140 times more effective, to be exact) for skin to absorb all the expensive creams you put on your face. The gadget comes with bottles of collagen and vitamin C to get you started.

So does it really work? I don’t know. Japanese companies come out with extraordinary products like this all the time. Some end up thrown in the ‘fad’ bin, while others stand the test of time.

Maybe after my next paycheck I’ll place an order. If anyone beats me to it, email me your thoughts!

Himawari

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Curry in a Hurry

Only in Japan can you look at a brown puddle and say, “Hey, that looks yummy!” Though in this case, the brown puddle is a bag of curry sauce. An adorably packaged bag of curry at that:

The concept is simple: Curry on-the-go. The packets are slim enough to fit in your pocket, and you don’t have to heat it in a microwave; i.e., it tastes good at room temperature. You can pour it onto rice, bread, hot dogs, and just about anything that needs a flavor kick.

Ranging from baby-lovin’ mild to manly-man spicy, each packet contains bits of vegetable and meat, so it’s like eating the real-deal only you don’t need a stove.

This product comes from the brains at Glico, the same company that brought the world Pocky. In fact, most of Glico’s products come in candy or snack form, so it’s interesting that they’d venture into savory dishes.

I suppose that’s a sign of innovation. \(^o^)/

Himawari

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Self-Heating Bento at Your Service

You can find my favorite bento — a lunch in a box — at the train station.

Believe it or not, it’s the best place to get a tasty meal. With so many people snatching boxes before a trip out of town, the lunchbox competition gets pretty heavy here. Bentos featuring cooked seasonal vegetables are some of my favorites.

And now there’s a newfangled box that makes me want to fly out to Japan just to try it. It’s the self-heating lunch! Just pull a string and the box heats up like an oven. You’ll even see hot steam coming out!

Here’s how it works: Underneath the food is a container of tiny white coals (calcium oxide). Pulling the string releases water which mixes with the coal, causing a chemical reaction. Specifically, CaO＋Ｈ2Ｏ→Ca(OH)2.

Youtube has a bunch of home videos of tourists trying out these hot bentos, most containing slices of beef or cow tongue (it’s a delicacy!) over a bed of rice. Yum!

Your usual bento box is strategically prepared to be eated in room temperature, and it actually tastes great at the end of the day. So to me, it’s more of a novelty that you can now get a hot bento. Next time I’m in Japan, I’d love to see a cold bento. Pull a string and your food turns to ice! haha~! \(^o^)/

Himawari

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