A Naughty Kitty

Ever wonder where your money goes? Blame the kitty! When you’re not looking, he snatches your coins and spends it on fresh milk.

Actually, he’s a coin bank ($15.98), helping you save up for your next vacation. And he’s the most adorable bank ever!

He hides in an fruit crate, and when you place a coin on the box he creeps out just to the point where you can see the whites of his tiny eyes. He has a few friends, too — chihuahuas, bulldogs and tiger-cats hiding out in an assortment of storage boxes — all ready protect your quarters from robbers and arcade games.

Loyal Japanizmo readers should know that elaborate coin banks are good and plenty in Japan. An empty pickle jar would do the trick, but as they say, “Gotta spend money to make money.”

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

Two is Better than One

Why settle for one good thing when you can get two? Especially in this tough economy you’ll see more companies teaming up to promote their products to a greater audience. Take for example, Hello Kitty, Japan’s favorite feline, and A Bathing Ape, a mostly-men’s streetwear line, who have teamed up for these cool items:

Founded by hip hop music producer Nigo, A Bathing Ape has been around for a while now, but as cute as its trademark ape tees are, as a female I’d never think to sport them around. It’d be like wearing my brother’s Starter jacket, back in the day. Though with this limited-time collaboration, their collection is too cute to pass up. I especially like the tote bags. You’d be rockin’ the old school with Little Twin Stars.

Here’s a different collaboration between Hello Kitty and Champion shoes:

I don’t know how to feel about them except to say leopard print is a tad unnecessary. Maybe it’ll attract the aerobics class demographic. Personally, when it comes to shoes, my favorite tie-up is between Tokidoki and Onitsuka Tiger:

It’s loud, it’s bold, and the cartoon print even runs under the bottom of your shoe. Why that’s necessary, I don’t know. But these kicks will surely draw attention as you’re walking down the street, especially when you carry along a matching Tokidoki purse. Just don’t get jumped.

Here’s one more collaboration with Hello Kitty and G-Shock watches:

G-Shock was a huge collector’s item a few years back in Japan. You couldn’t go anywhere without seeing it strapped onto some girl’s wrist. Nowadays, it’s not nearly en vogue, but if I saw someone sporting this watch, I’d think they’re pretty cool.

So what is your favorite collaboration? Tell me!! \(^o^)/

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

Solar-Powered Bobble Heads = Happiness

Takara Tomy, a Japanese toy company, has found a way for its customers to go green and de-stress. Meet Nohohon-zoku (“carefree family”), a smiley bobble-head toy that uses solar panels. Place these shiny happy people in the sun and watch their heads do a slow, rhythmic wiggle and sway. It’s mesmerizing and oddly calming. Are they hypnotizing us??

The figurines evolved from a previous line of bobble heads that served as business card holders or singing, dancing toys — most required triple-A batteries. No more!

Find a sunny spot on your desk and you’re good to go. In the UK, the toys are being marketed as “Sunshine Buddies,” and used as cute, inexpensive gifts. This goes to prove that the line between child’s toy and adult’s fun collectible is getting smaller and smaller (see also: cell phone charms).

And yes, the bobble heads come in Hello Kitty and Pikachu flavor, but Winnie the Pooh is my favorite 🙂 Too bad he’s a rare item priced at $75. The regular ones go for around $10.

People are so proud of / obsessed with their Nohohon-zoku that they’re putting them on YouTube. Check it out:

Sarah S.

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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

Does Size Matter? In the U.S., Bigger is Better, but in Japan, “Kawaii” (cuteness) Rules the Day

My name is Sarah S. and I’m very excited to be blogging for JPBizDirect. I’m originally from Chicago (brrr), studied communications at Ithaca College in upstate New York (equally, if not more, brrr) and moved to Los Angeles (ahh, warmth) in 1999. My husband and I spent our honeymoon in Tokyo and Kyoto. I’ve also traveled to Zimbabwe, Great Britain, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, France and the Netherlands. I’m crazy about Japanese food, art and culture (both old and new), and look forward to bringing you all things helpful, fun, informative and occasionally bizarre from the land of the rising sun!

In the U.S., advertisers seduce us with bigger cars, bigger houses and bigger backyards. We’re supposed to eat Big Macs at McDonalds, drink Big Gulps at 7-11, drive enormous SUVs and Hummers, and watch movies on big-screen TVs.

This obsession with “more, more, more” even includes the mundane act of shaving. Got three blades on your Mach3 razor? Not good enough! Try the Schick Quattro with four blades! No, wait! Try the Gillette Fusion with　five blades!

For women, big breasts are a plus, but let’s not go there; large eyelashes are also coveted, as are king-size beds and enormous, walk-in closets. Maybe it’s our wide-open spaces or the frontier-history of the country. Skyscrapers grow taller, first class grows wider; and we all want a piece of it.

In Japan, the opposite is often true. When I visited Tokyo and Kyoto with my husband, we noticed a fascination with neatness, smallness, and cuteness. At a corner grocery store in Kyoto, Asahi beer came in size small: 5 ounces (135 ml). Miniature candy and snacks came in small boxes, and inside, each chocolate was individually wrapped.

Pop idols like Puffy AmiYumi, manga comics featuring young female characters and their pets, usually cats, are also very small and cute.

RememberHello Kitty? Back in the 1980s, the ubiquitous meower reached peak popularity among schoolgirls in the U.S., but the concept of cuteness or kawaii(ka-wa-EE) has been prevalent in Japan from the 1970s to present day, and Sanrio, the company that created Hello Kitty, is still going strong. Round faces, wide eyes and tiny bodies are still the preferred look for cartoons and mascots.

Pikachu from Pokemonis seen soaring the skies on All Nippon Airlines (ANA) planes, and an adorable creature – I honestly have no idea what it is — represents the Tokyo Metropolitan Police.

Hotel rooms and bathrooms in Japan are quite small by American standards, but though the cities I visited were crowded, I never felt claustrophobic. This was partially because of the orderliness, politeness and tidiness; even the subway stations were extremely clean, and everything seemed to have its place.

To Americans, it seems strange to combine cartoon characters with real estate, government or the air force, but despite our differences with Japan in this area, there is plenty of crossover. Global interest in Japanese manga has never been higher. Maybe, like Goldilocks, we’ll have to find the size that’s “just right”!

Sarah S.

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Thinking of doing business in Japan? We can make it easy for you!
JPBizDirect, 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
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