Uniqlo's Tokyo Fashion Map

Fun, cool, interactive website from Uniqlo.

Tokyoites love fashion - from wacky to casual to super chic - and are constantly checking out and reporting (in mags, on TV) on 'local looks' - i.e., going to various Tokyo neighborhoods and looking at what people are wearing. With over 30 million residents in the metro area, there are lots of 'looks' to see.

1000, according to Uniqlo:

http://www.uniqlo.com/uniqlo1000/map/

Uniqlo Bra Top

Here's a great ad from Uniqlo for their Bra Top (with built-in bra pads so for 'braless' support').

Very sexy, and functional at the same time:



This has become a huge hit here in Japan, followed up with an interesting website http://www.uniqlo.com/wire/ that features 100 models/girls showing of their bra top fashion.

Fun with Japanese

Glico has recently revived a nostalgic dairy/yogurt type drink from the 1970's when it was perfectly understandable to have product names that make English speakers giggle, gag or otherwise recoil in shock. If you've been to Japan you've surely seen Pocari Sweat or Calpis. (now marketed in North America under the more consumption friendly 'Pocari Drink' and 'Calpico', respectively).

Here it is:


You'll notice the product strategically opts for no English lettering - that's for nostalgia, of course, for the days before Japan was 'international'.

It is also because the product is called 'Pinesu'. Which in pronunciation terms sounds like 'pee-nis'.

the cutest little headphones

Japan is all about the 'Cute' (Kawaii) so I hardly blinked when I saw these guys while checking out headphones for my soon-to-be new iTouch.

As the copy reads: "As (with) stylish accessories and dresses, don't you want to have fashionable headphones?"

Can't argue with that!

 

These are part of the "Ladies" line of headphones from Elecom (sorry Japanese only) which is usually a boring computer peripherals outfit known for inexpensive (albeit not bad) mouses.

Not sure what possessed them to do this - the question of course is why hasn't audio-technica or sony done it?!?

Black is the new toothpaste

As we've mentioned previously on this blog, there is a curious 'trend' here in Japan to make stuff Black that wouldn't - and shouldn't - normally be Black. There was Black Tissue Paper. We've seen Black Toilet Paper.

And now, courtesy of Kobayashi Seiyaku ('healthcare company'), we have Black Toothpaste.

Here's the Brief:
Product Name: Sumigaki ('sumi' means 'coal' and 'migaki' means 'to brush'. get it?)
(Background: Coal based cleansers (soaps) are quite common here and said to be good for cleaning and for skin. It's not straight coal of course, just an ingredient. An ingredient that makes stuff Black.)
Benefit: Bad breath prevention
RTB: Coal kills germs that cause bad breath
The Kicker: It's Black! (like coal, see?)
The Idea: Makes your breath beautiful.

To their credit, they don't claim Whitening.

Bless Coffee!

Amen! 

In Kyobashi near Chuo-dori/Kajibashi-dori crossing. 

Chocolate Beer

Cross branding gone amuck? Or Breakthrough Innovation?

You be the judge.

Sapporo Breweries and Royce Chocolate (Both based in Sapporo, Hokkaido) collaborate on Chocolate Brewery - yes, chocolate beer.

One gets the feeling the presidents of these two Hokkaido institutions had a little too much to drink one night and before you know it....

Only available up north for now - waiting for it to come down to Tokyo for a tasting review.

Seinfeld lives in Japan

The Manssiere. aka The Bro. Men's bras!

Only in Japan. Buy from Wishnet.com! This has been making the rounds on gossip sites and tabloids. Apparently there is a booming niche online market for men's bras. Not gonna analyze this one - probably mostly for cross-dressers, etc., but most definitely weird.

Ah, Christmas in Japan

Did you know that Christmas is, next to Valentine's Day, the most popular Date Night in Japan?

(from: http://www.date-navi.com/xmas/index.html)

And that the most famous 'Christmas Dinner' is brought to you buy Kentucky Fried Chicken?

Well to show they've finally gotten the 'true' spirit of Christmas, Japanese are more and more discovering the joy of giving. Yes, commercialized Christmas is here.

So much so that consumer loan sharks (bank-like institutions that make individual loans for outrageous fees, kind of like a credit card cash advance) are now getting in the act.

I saw this shocker on the train this morning:

(Children never forget what they got from Santa.)

(The memory of being stiffed by Santa lasts for 3 years.)

Merry Christmas. Suckers.

The Power of Double Meanings

This is a little old but just ran across it going through some stuff at work.  (this is not our work, of course.)

George Clooney is Stayin' Alive

More from Honda Odyssey with George Clooney. Man he's hot. What's that car he's drivin'?




This is not to be confused with Brad Pitt for Softbank mobile phones, part of a trend of "Famous Hollywood Star + Retro Cool Music" ads here in Japan:




Or my fave, Cameron Diaz:

I like a good car, cuz I'm a man

George Clooney in the latest ad campaign for Honda's Odyssey. The copy reads "I like good cars. Because I am a man."

Crunchy Sweetmeat

I've tried to avoid the usual 'funny Engrish' stuff on this blog - best to leave that to places like engrish.com and the plethora of gaijin blogs and boards. In fact, after 12 years in-country I hardly even blink when I see "Cock's Specials" on a menu or "Room Saniterizers" in a hotel or "Spank Me Like a Monkey" t-shirts on little girls. These I get. A "Cock" is a misspelled "Cook". "Saniterizer" is a cute error on "Sanitizer" - nice try! And the t-shirts, hey, they look nice and no one reads/understands English but us gaijin anyway.

This one caught me off guard, though. A co-worker was handing these out as 'omiyage' (gift from a trip):






To be fair they were sweet.

Behavior modification ads - Japanese style

From Tokyo Metro (which runs most of the city's subways).
Reminding people (note that the offenders tend to be young people) how to behave in a way that doesn't make them want to mis-behave:

On my way home from work

A great thing about Tokyo is you can pretty much walk around anywhere, anytime.

So that's what I do.

Well, within reason - have to be home for dinner most nights....

Here are some of things I see. Sorry for the quality - these are either taken from my cell phone or regular old unpro digital camera.

Tsukiji crossing

Tokyu Stay Hotel (Higashi Ginza):

One of many bridges (Harumi) along Sumida River. Fairly ugly during the day but lit up all nice and pretty at night:

Hmmmm. Mysterious creature in Hibiya...

Hmmmm. More mysterious creatures in Hibiya:

Japanese Car Ads

Car ads in Japan are a constant source of entertainment - and bewilderment. This one made me choke on my coffee this morning.

The brief:
Product/Brand: Mazda Demio
Message: New Orange color!
Idea: New Mazda Demio Orange will make you want to dance. Even if you can't actually dance.

Train jackin'

Saw this on a train in the residential area of Western Tokyo. It was a 'Train Jack'.

That's when an advertiser buys all the space on an entire train and plasters its own ads all over it. (thus hi-'jacking' the train with ads)

This one was for Lenor, a P&G fabric softener.

The cool thing is that they hung these shirts up (real shirts - it's Japan so no one steals or vandalizes them!) with 'sweat' dripping. On the sweat drop, and on a puddle sticker on the floor, the ads talk about preventing sweat smell on your clothes with Lenor.

Brilliant idea for the sweaty summer Tokyo rainy season.

Nude Jewelry

From the land of Yakuza body tatoos comes the latest trend(?) in jewelry/body art.

While 'skin jewelry' is basically trinkets taped to skin or glitter spry, Nude Jewelry takes the concept to a higher level by setting pure gold or platinum directly on the skin. It lasts about a week and can cost several hundred dollars depending on the design.

Just Looking!

Here's a new DVD for shy people, called "just looking."

50 people, 96 minutes, just looking.

Bay-ge-ru (Bagels in Tokyo)

I was never 'spoiled' on bagels - I wasn't born with an innate birthright to claim "you can't get real bagels here."

As a Jewish kid growing up in California, bagels were a staple part of my diet - especially on weekends or at Bar Mitzvahs. But as our relatives from back east (New York) constantly reminded us, "you can't get real bagels in California."

That was probably true in the 70s and 80s. But at some point in the 90s, Californians learned how to make passable bagels. I know this for a fact because I can clearly recall my Aunt from Long Island eating a bagel with us somewhere circa '92 and saying "this isn't half-bad, where did you get it?"

And thus, California bagels were now "real."

Then I moved to Japan. At first, oh about 1994, there were literally "no" bagels. The best I could do to satisfy my cravings was a Kaiser roll. I was able to get my hands on Philadelphia Cream Cheese (stick only, no whipped) and of course this being Japan, smoked salmon (or any other sea creature) was not an issue. So there I was back in the day, eating my Kaiser Roll with lox and cream cheese (and a hole cut in the middle to complete the fantasy) and longing for them good ole' California bagels.

Fast forward to the early 2000's and Tokyo has changed. Internationalization or globalization or whatever has kicked into gear and before you know it there are not only McDonald's in every station and Coke machines on every corner, but we also get Starbucks, Subway, Tropicana, Frosted Flakes ("corn frosties"), Crystal Geyser, Cold Stone Creamery, Costco, Ikea, Krispy Kreme, blah blah blah.

And bagels.

Bagels became a hit with the OL's around 2001 and were then firmly added to the cultural culinary landscape. A chain of bagle shops (aptly called "Bagel & Bagel") spreads the word and even Doutor has "bagel sands" (I can't think of an appropriate North American cultural assimile for Doutor other than to say it's like Winchell's back in the 80s when people still smoked, only without the doughnuts).

The truth is, though, bagels in Tokyo are no better than the ones in California back in the 70s and 80s. Mostly they taste like white bread in the shape of a doughnut. Occasionally I find one that is marginally better than Safeway brand bagels (6 in a bag for 1.99), but I try not to be too elitist - I know what it's like to have your bagels bagged on.

So until recently, we used to 'import' bagels by the dozen (take 'em on the plane with us and put 'em in the freezer. We used to do the same thing with tortillas before you could buy them here too - but that's another post.)

But having kids and the high cost of fuel has limited our ability to import our own precious bagels. Luckily, for those living in Tokyo and craving bagels, there is a place called 212 (which is somehow connected to H&H Bagels from New York, so it must be good, right) which is leading the charge to make Tokyo like California in the 90s. The locations are out of the way - Harumi Triton Square is nearest to us and we make a pilgrimmage about once a month (go early to get them fresh baked and before they run out).

L'Chaim!