The Elephants are Swimming

As a Japanophile, I’m always checking for Japanese names that show up on Hollywood movie credits. So the other day, I was watching “The Jungle Book 2” and, lo and behold, out pops Ritsuko Notani, character designer extraordinaire.

Ritsuko, aka, Ritzco, draws for Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. Hailing from Matsuyama, Japan, she’s now stateside creating a whirlwind of characters for movies like Tinker Bell, Mulan II, Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas and Pooh’s Grand Adventure. Spending your days tapped into your own imagination sounds like a dream job to me!

One of Ritzco’s fanciful creatures is this cute elephant donned in a striped bathing suit and swim goggles. Whether he’s about to swim the English Channel or back-float in his bathtub, he’s certainly dressed for the occasion.

Ritzco’s T-shirts are specially tailored for the feminine physique. For $25.99, you’ll get a 100% pre-shrunk cotton tee that’s a slimmer cut and shorter length than standard tees. For $31.99, you’ll get a 100% preshrunk ring-spun baby rib cotton tee that’s form-fitting and contoured to flatter the hips. Check here for color and size options.

Himawari

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Green Tea with Envy

After falling into a major food coma, the best pick-me-up is a cup of green tea. Not only is it packed with caffeine, it’s filled with antioxidants to help you retain that youthful glow. You’ll find plenty of green tea bottles at markets both in Japan and the U.S., but nothing beats a home brew. It tastes fresh and you can make it as strong as you want.

So check this out:

It’s home-brewed tea to go by a company called Kraso. Fill the strainer with leaves and then fill the bottle with water. It comes with a hand-strap and a tight lid in case you’re in the habit of running through dense crowds on the way to work.

Each bottle has an oh-so-cute picture of children playing in the park. Once you start touting it around, you’ll be the envy of your office!

Himawari

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Smarter Than Your Average Bear

There are bears who ride tricycles and there are bears who balance on balls. But that’s nothing compared to this talented creature:

His name is Charatter (“kyaratta~”) ($28) and he reads your Twitter feed as you busy yourself with other idle pleasures. You’ll be mesmerized watching his plastic lips chatter about what your friends are doing without you. Hook him up to either your iPhone or computer and from there he’ll talk forever until either you throw him against the wall or your friends go to sleep. Watch him in action:

Plastic bear enthusiasts have reportedly been snatching the blue baddie in droves since he entered the market late last year. And apparently he can speak in English as well as in Japanese, though I suspect it’s Engrish rather than English.

Himawari

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Don’t Touch Me, I’m Electrified!

I’ve been practicing the Running Man lately, that dance move from the 80s. It’s a great cardio workout, plus, I can show off my “total rad” moves at the club. But I realize the more I dance on my shaggy carpet, the more my body accumulates a lot of static electricity. So when I hug a friend, they’re jolted with a lightning bolt of pain. (Sorry, Sachiko!) I really need one of these:

It’s a neat tool that releases any excessive electricity in your body. What you do is press the end of it to whatever you’re about to touch. The LCD screen flashes a happy face when it’s done discharging.

Static electricity (“seidenki”) especially runs wild in the wintertime when the air gets dry. I always also seem to get it in Vegas because so much of that town is carpeted. It gets to the point where everything I touch hurts me. It’s like an evil curse! I’d rather have everything turn to gold than electricity. ( ; _ ; )

Luckily, this tool was invented. Maybe it can discharge the extra fat around my hips, too!

Himawari

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Wake up and Dance!

Some people need five alarms just to get up in the morning. They hit the snooze button on each, sleep for five minutes, then hit each button again until they eventually wake up. So how’s this for innovation… an all-in-one button-pressing alarm clock:

It’s modeled after those Dance Dance Revolution games where you move your feet like a madman, only with this it’s your fingers doing the work. And if you can’t mimic the pattern, the alarm clock will keep on ringing. And ringing…

Once your alarm goes off, it’ll play one of three songs at random. Then dance pad lights up, cueing you to tap the buttons as promptly as possible. The hardest part is that you have to successfully tap 15 times to get the darn thing to shut off. And with the snooze function, you’ll need to do it all over after 8 minutes.

I can see myself getting either really pumped in the morning or having very sore fingers. Thank god for the OFF button. =P

Himawari

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Emergency Chic

This might be the year of natural disasters but it’s not the year of bad fashion sense. And only in Japan would they make a an emergency kit so cute and chic:

It contains is a mesh pouch, a solar-powered flashlight, a pink LCD clock/keychain, a shampoo/conditioner set and a pair of flats that look like they were made of newspaper!

As the website explains, this kit is geared toward those inevitable post-nuclear accident blackouts which Tokyo has been experiencing a lot of this year. =( The flashlight is water-resistant and stands on its own, so it’s especially useful when you’re in the rain trying to find where you dropped your keys. And if you can’t find your keys, you can keep a spare set on the digital keychain clock.

Okay, this may not be the most practical emergency kit ever, but you could always pack water bottles and rations on your own. This kit is more about the girly-girl embracing her inner MacGyver and getting through the apocalypse in style. Heck, I’d get it just for the shoes. What better way to say, “Save the planet!” (/^o^)/

Himawari

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Your New Study Buddy

I never had a pet when I was a kid. My parents promised me a bunny rabbit for Christmas one year, but when I opened my presents there was no bunny to be found. Argh~! I never let them forget my disappointment.

These days, I live in a tiny apartment with barely enough room for my bed, so even if I wanted a pet it’d have to sleep under the covers with me. That’s why I love the idea of this winged critter:

It’s robotic owl that sits on your laptop, blinks its eyes and looks around as you type away. He’ll be your study buddy, keeping you company until the late hours of the night. He comes in four different colors — white, pink, brown and grey — and unlike most mechanical pets he’s pretty quiet when he moves his little body, so you can keep him in the office without anyone taking notice.

The best thing is that he doesn’t need to be walked or fed. So even if you go on vacation, he’ll be happily awaiting your return. Just remember to unplug him or else you might find him hot under the collar!

Himawari

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Three’s Company

Separate your meat and vegetables with this three-tiered bento box. It’s created in the image of a kokeshi, a traditional wooden doll from Miyagi Prefecture. Its head doubles as a soup bowl and the rest of its body can hold cream stew, rice, broccoli or whatever else your heart desires.

This is one of my favorite bento boxes because it’s microwavable and cute as a button. Few people will notice just how much food you’re scarfing down because they’ll be too enamored by the little girl you’re eating with.

Story has it, kokeshi dolls were originally created as a good luck charm for bearing healthy babies. Though if you really want healthy babies, eat plenty of cooked liver. Just throw it into one of these kokeshi containers and eat discreetly in the office. The bento box is held snug with an elastic band and fits neatly your bag. It also comes with air-tight lids to keep everything in place. Three bowls, no spills! \(@^_^@)/

Himawari

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japanizmo, a Los Angeles based company, provides practical solutions for U.S. ? Japan business projects. Our experienced Japanese staff will support all phases of your business project to seize business opportunities and turn your vision into a reality. >> Learn more

Coded FYI

I’ve been seeing QR codes more often in the U.S. They pop up on concert posters and websites, though mostly as things of novelty. To Americans, they probably resemble some sort of alien language turned abstract art.

In Japan, QR codes have been in the mainstream for years as an alternate link to marathon-long web addresses. Whenever you see a QR code — let’s say, on a cereal box — snap it on your camera phone and you’ll be taken to the company’s site filled with information and maybe even a coupon or two.

Especially if you’re a small businesses, QR codes are great for promoting your products. Here’s all you need:

It’s a cute stamp embedded with your own personalized QR code. Suppose you just opened a crepe shop in the neighborhood. Instead of spending money on billboards and newspaper ads, you can go around the block stamping your QR code onto any white space you see. You can even be sneaky and stamp it on the competitor’s napkins.

The little toy comes with a self-contained inkpad so that your stamp never dries out. And they’re made to look like animated people and animals; the ultimate stealthy facade when trying to beat out the competition!

Himawari

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japanizmo, a Los Angeles based company, provides practical solutions for U.S. ? Japan business projects. Our experienced Japanese staff will support all phases of your business project to seize business opportunities and turn your vision into a reality. >> Learn more

Food For Thought

If I could visit the displaced families in Northern Japan, I’d bring along this cupcake maker. It’s a portable electric oven that can dish out a half-dozen cupcakes in a matter of 10 minutes. Just pour your favorite batter into the silicon cups and shut the lid. Inside the colorful shell is a high-powered 1,200 watt griddle that’ll bake your goodies before you have time to shake everyone’s hand.
Though not just cupcakes, you can make a variety of both sweet and savory. It’s really up to your imagination:

The griddle comes with a recipe booklet containing all kinds of ideas perfect for school lunches, picnics in the park and disaster refuge centers. The key is that the treats don’t require plates and forks. Just pop it in your mouth and you’re fed!
A few days ago, the northern region of Tohoku had a huge 7.1 tremor thought to be just an aftershock. My heart goes out to those in the region still without a place to call home. Gamabre Nippon!!

Himawari

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Thinking of doing business in Japan? We can make it easy for you!
japanizmo, a Los Angeles based company, provides practical solutions for U.S. ? Japan business projects. Our experienced Japanese staff will support all phases of your business project to seize business opportunities and turn your vision into a reality. >> Learn more