I Have a Pen Fetish

Japan doesn’t make new technology, they simply improve on what’s already out there.

That’s what people say when talking about cool Japanese products like stereos, washing machines and even mechanical writing instruments.

Take for example the Pentel Slicci Gel Ink pen, offered in dozens of hues and variable ball-widths. They come in fun, brilliant colors like ‘milk blue,’ and glide onto the paper like wet paint on linoleum. The smallest ball-point is .25 mm which is so thin and sleek it even makes bad penmanship look like a work of art. I use them to draw Doraemon.

Their commercial campaign is really cute. Each pen color supposedly has magical powers of fulfillment. In pink, you write the name of the boy you want to go on a date with. Use the red pen to write the name of the boy you like and in a few days he’ll like you back. It’s completely hokey, but I know if I was 13 years old I’d be scribbling the name of that cute boy in math class all over my desk:

Check out this video

In Japan, whether you’re a guy or girl, old or young, you own a set of color pens. Unlike those boring Paper Mates, these Pentels are like trophies behind a glass case. And when you run out of ink, you’ll be sure to run out for a replacement.

Oh wow, thinking about these pens triggered a flashback. When one of my last boyfriends broke up with me, I gathered my things and headed to the door. Though just before I left, I opened his desk drawer and grabbed a set of color pens he had borrowed from me. He might’ve stolen my heart, but I wasn’t going to let him steal my pens!

Himawari

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Candy by Region

Morinaga, a major brand in Japan, produces different flavors of soft Hi-Chew candy — kinda like Starburst fruit chews — for different areas of the country, based on what type of fruit grows there. Each location has something special to offer that you can’t find anywhere else, just like with the Hello Kitty charms that Himawari loves.

If you live in Tohoku (which means “northeast”), for example, you get to enjoy pear-flavored Hi-Chew, because Yamagata Prefecture in that region produces a large amount of Japan’s La France pears. If you live in Kyushu (the southernmost of Japan’s four main islands), the same type of candy comes in limited-edition Dekopon flavor. Dekopons are large, seedless, sweet oranges with a funny shape: a large bump on top.

Because you can’t enjoy either of these treats unless you travel to Tohoku or Kyushu, they make excellent souvenirs. Visitors collect them and take them home for bragging rights. Besides, who needs real fruit? Actual La France pears are expensive these days: $5-6 dollars each. Pear Hi-Chew lasts longer, provides more bang for your buck, and tastes delicious.

Tohoku also carries zunda flavor Kit-Kats from Nestle. At first, these threw me for a loop. I was scared that the picture on the box was wasabi (maybe I need better glasses), but it’s really sweetened, mashed edamame beans. They’re creamy, almost like white chocolate! I highly recommend these Kit Kats, if for no other reason than to say you’ve tried them, but you might have to become penpals with someone from Tohoku in order to get some.

Sarah S.

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Human Pillows are Better

It goes without saying that Japan is the king of wacky inventions. My favorite is the boyfriend arm pillow, which comes with an extra appendage to rest your pretty little head on. When it debuted a few years ago, both men and women were snatching it up partly as a gag gift and partly because it really did its job comforting single women on those cold, lonely nights.

Okay, I admit, I have one. But it was a gift from a friend who wanted to get a rise out of me in my perpetual singlehood. Little did he know, I loved it and made “John” my surrogate boyfriend. It was love at first sit. He excelled in propping my head up when reading. And he was always there for me when my back hurt. I’m just waiting for him to pop the question and he’s mine forever.

There’s also a female version, a lap pillow complete with mini-skirt and softly rounded knees. It started selling for about $90 and as soon as it became popular a handful of knock-offs emerged for much cheaper. Now there’s millions of men with their own personal friend — or at least half of one. Men of all ages find the female pillow “soothing,” one manufacturing representative said. When they’re home alone with their special companion who knows what they do together. Watch TV, play cards, surf the Net? Let’s just hope it’s G-rated. (^.<)

Himawari

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Japanese Design For Your Home

Buying a house is at the top of my wish list for 2009, so I’m addicted to real estate sites like Realtor.com and Red Fin (why it’s called that I have no clue). Depending on whom you ask, it’s either the best or worst time to buy – but if I should be lucky enough to find a place, I’d like to decorate at least one room in Japanese style.

It shouldn’t be too difficult to do, because Japanese-influenced furniture can be found everywhere from Ikea to slightly higher-end stores like Modernica in Los Angeles and Muji in Soho. Each of these companies have taken the minimalist, uncluttered look common to Japanese homes and added their own touches.

One of my favorite online stores to browse is Haiku Designs, which showcases solid blocks of color, soft lighting and low-standing couches, beds and chairs in a clean, simple layout.

Don’t have much space to work with? Adding a folding shoji screen, made of rice paper and wood, transforms one room into several, and they’re so lightweight you can change them up whenever you feel like it. The soft glow of a rice paper lamp adds a touch of warmth and charm to pretty much any surrounding.

I’ll probably pass on the tatami mat beds, though 

Sarah S.

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My Lunchbox is Better Than Yours

What’s for lunch? McDonalds? Leftover pasta?

In a perfect world we’d all have amazingly cute lunches packed by mom. It’d have rice balls, juicy sausages, tiny boiled eggs, a pocketful of potato salad, an orange wedge… and every day we’d sit at a park bench nibbling on every morsel with a Thermos of green tea.

Realistically, it’s way easier just to throw last night’s meatloaf into a Tupperware and bring it to work. But being the Japanophile I am, I substitute Mister Tupper for a fancy bento-bako (lunch box) if just to pass off the illusion that my lunch is better than yours.

At Tokyu Hands you’ll find an entire section dedicated to these plastic boxes, some with their own tote and chopsticks, others shaped like a Hello Kitty.

Bento-bakos are one step cooler now, literally. Some of them carry a cold-pack to keep your fruit salad crisp and perky. And then there’s the insulated boxes: Stuff it with rice, microwave, and voila! your meal is pipping hot 6 hours later.

There’s also fancy lacquered boxes that come in stacks, that way you can separate your rice from the meat and vegetables. If you want to really impress your man, give him one of those and watch him devour each box as pink hearts flutter from his chest.

Any of these boxes will set you back $25-$30, so it’s a wonder why people would buy them when a Ziploc could easily do the trick. But if you ask me, a cute bento box is the way to go. It’s eco-friendly, it helps curb portions, and it’s so damn cute it even makes brussel sprouts taste good. So what are you waiting for? Buy your own box and be the envy of all your friends!

Himawari

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Couples That Wear Undies Together Stay Together…

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Embelline, a Japanese company specialized in body shape underwear and bridal lingerie, has introduced Love-Pan(http://www.embelline.co.jp/lovepants/index.html), a pair of unisex underpants that couples can wear and enjoy the intimacy of sharing the identical look, discretely.

They are betting on some couples’ secret desire to wear the identical pieces of clothing without advertising it to the whole world. Love-Pan was test-marketed during the Christmas season of 2007 in limited regions in Japan and was enthusiastically received by both genders, says Embelline.

They are rolling out a limited edition of 1,000 pairs (his & hers) for 5,500 yen for this Valentine season. If you ever wanted to sport a “pair-look” but felt too inhibited to do so, I think now is your chance…

Btw, in case someone’s wondering why the name, Love-Pan, it is Love-Pantsu, a Japanese word for underpants. You may think it’s something you can eat by the sound of it!!! (The word, Pan, can also mean bread.)

Togé Togé

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Crazy About Stationary

Cute, fancy stationary and stationary accessories are very popular in Japan. Lots of kids collect erasers shaped like food or cartoon animals, and adults are also on the lookout for the latest variations on home and office gear, like see-through fountain pens that show you exactly how much ink you have left. Pencil cases and watercolor sets make great gifts as well.

Jet Pens has a series of colorful, mini-ball point pens that clip like clothespins onto your notebook. I’m always shoving my pens into the spiral and getting them stuck there, so this is probably number one on my to-buy list.

I also like the correction-tape pens that come in different sizes, including one for your keychain. It’s like a hipper version of white out, perfect for quick fixes.

The cutest items by far are the novelty erasers, which seriously look good enough to eat. To my slight embarrassment, the “American food” category consists of donuts, cakes, shakes, French fries and burgers. You may feel healthier using tiny erasers shaped like sushi, tempura, gyoza, onigiri rice triangles, dim sum, and even bowls of noodles!

Eraser Crazy features every eraser shape imaginable: little dinosaurs, motorcycles, lipstick, puppies, pandas, hamsters and more. No wonder kids collect them – they’re far too adorable to actually use…

Sarah S.

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Gotta Catch ‘Em All

There’s something very enticing about collectibles. From Beanie Babies to Pokemon cards, we love blowing our money on things that come in sets.

My latest obsessions is a Hello Kitty charm made by Gotochi. There’s one tailor-made for every region of Japan, plus for Japanese tourist destinations like Hawaii and Guam.

So let’s say you’re visiting the city of Shizuoka, famous for their fresh green tea. Stop by the souvenir shop of the airport or train station and you’ll find a Kitty-chan dressed in a kimono harnessed to a bale of tea leaves.

Or you’re ever in Nara you’re sure to spot Kitty-chan dressed as a deer, the town’s sacred mascot:

Cute, right?

A few coworkers collaborate with me to make my collection grow. They visit Japan twice a year so they always bring home a new charm for me. And then when I visit friends in Kyushu and Tokyo, I buy some for them. So far, I’ve collected 10 or so, but I know I’m not stopping there.

So what’s the point, right? Mmm yeah, these trinkets aren’t gonna bring world peace or anything. And eventually they probably will end up in a dusty shoe box in my closet. But right now I’m all about attaching Kitty charms to every purse zipper I own (They come with a clasp). Accessorizing raises your bag’s cuteness meter, making other girls instantly jealous. (Ooh how I love making girls jealous!) And the idea of having a charm from different regions of the country somehow makes me feel worldly in a Paris Hilton kinda way.

Yep, yet another useless but completely indispensable thingamabob from Japan. Can’t live with ‘em, can’t live without ‘em.

Himawari

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Face blotting paper: Cute, practical, and makes a great gift

When Himawari goes to Japan, she likes to check out the latest candy selection. That’s high on my list as well, and I also love picking up face blotting paper.

Developed in Kyoto 90 years ago by Yojiya Cosmetics, the ultra thin, small squares of paper are used to dab away shine from your face and absorb any oil that’s built up, but without smudging your makeup. Keep a small case in your purse for easy access and you’re good for a clear, blemish-free complexion. (Or at least that’s the hope.)

Originally used in the 1920s by stage actors, Geisha and Maiko who needed to keep their faces fresh without ruining their greasepaint makeup, face blotting paper caught on with Japanese women from all walks of life in the 1990s. As usual, presentation is key. You can buy the paper in bulk at any beauty store and dress it up by carrying it in a thin, snap shut case decorated with traditional artwork or kawaii cartoons. Squares of pretty packaging with 20 or so sheets inside are popular souvenirs from Kyoto, and are found at the markets and stands just about everywhere there.

It may be too late to use them as stocking stuffers this year, but they do in a pinch as a cute and practical gift, whatever the season.

Sarah S.

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How to Shrink Your Face

The other day, a friend was telling me about how women in Korea are so concerned about the width of their face that they’ll pay a doctor to shave down their jawbone. It freaked me out, but then I remembered that Japanese women are also pretty ‘adventuresome’ when it comes to trying to decrease their face size.

Here are some of my favorite methods:
• Sing a song

Many Japanese feel that strong jaw muscles contribute to a thinner face. But as most people would agree, Japanese isn’t a very jaw-intensive language. (If you don’t believe me, ask a Japanese person to pronounce “right” and “light.”) So for $20 you can buy a CD containing four songs that’ll help work out those troublesome areas around the mouth, cheeks and even the eyes. One song is titled “Hello! Beauty Face.” Another is　called “Ko gan rin kin sa kitto,” which doesn’t have any meaning, but try saying it three times fast.

• Wear a mask

I never thought beauty would end up looking like a serial murderer, but here you have it, a rubber mask you wear while taking a hot bath. It’s sort of like a Bikram yoga class because for less work you’re theoretically sweating out more fatty lipids. Just don’t scare your boyfriend away.

• Bite on a Stick

Like the wings of a bird, the longer you hold on the farther you’ll go. Just bite down on the silicon mouthpiece and let it flutter. The up and down motion will put your muscles to work, and if that’s not successful at least you’ll have a nice stirring stick for your morning coffee.

• Wear a Big Hat

It’s a quick fix, but at least it works.

It’s always fun hearing all the interesting ways women stay beautiful. It can be as simple as drinking a nutritional supplement or as odd as spreading bird poop on your face. Of course, the above methods are some of the latter. It just goes to show how overzealous some of us can be. Though personally speaking, what’s wrong with a wide face?

Himawari

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