It was just a couple of months ago that I wrote a quick post about an absolutely unforgettable Japanese apparel brand name that's still turning heads.
Now I've happened upon a footwear brand that some will find similarly amusing.
Say hello to Dr. Assy (click for larger view).
Thanks to ABC TV, "regular" Americans are finally going to be introduced to the delightful wackiness of Japanese game shows.
According to trailers running on the broadcaster's website, I Survived a Japanese Game Show, will feature 10 Americans who've been "kidnapped" to Japan to compete for $250,000 on one of those insane programs that we've been reveling in for years (you know, the kind where contestants are covered head to toe in velcro bug suits and then shot out of a cannon to see who can land most skillfully on a fabric covered wall located on the other side of the studio).
The fun starts on June 24. No word yet on whether the show will be broadcast here in Japan too.
I discovered this new and unique Coca-Cola Japan product the other day in the vending machine near my home. It's called Fanta Furufuru Shaker.
In some ways it's reminiscent of those jelly drinks marketed by Weider Japan. If you're not familiar with them, imagine a semi-soft version of Jello that's drinkable.
Where Coca-Cola Japan has added a twist is in adding carbonation that's activated by shaking the can.
The first mouthful feels a bit like Jello, but then the carbonation hits you, producing the sensation that you're actually eating your soda.
Less adventurous souls and the conventionally minded (in other words, adults), may find this off-putting.
But Japanese kids are going to, ahem, eat it up.
And you are simply not going to believe the TV ads.
Fanta Japan regularly produces fairly "out-there" commercials, but you won't want to miss the ones currently posted on their website. After you reach the top page, click on TVCM, then play the video that comes up in the main screen.
In particular, keep a close eye out for this character, whose can shaking technique is going to stimulate a lot of chatter in some quarters.
When it comes to the physique, some Japanese women, much like some women elsewhere, invest considerable time, money and effort in the pursuit of shapely curves—whether the locale be the chest, legs or bottom. But one way in which they differ—at least by my reckoning—is that many spend an inordinate amount of time worried about the shape of their faces. I'm not talking about the curve of their noses, the fullness of their lips or the angle of their brows, though sure enough, plenty of gals fret about these as well. What I'm talking about is more general—and has more to do with size than detail. Many Japanese women are fixated on the size of their faces.
It's just one of those cultural things. In Japan, you often hear women gushing over the pulchritude of some model or movie celeb, "kao ga chisai!" (Her face is [so] small!). Everybody in Japan seems to want a small face.
As a result, you frequently come across items like the one pictured above. Manufactured by a firm called Sun Family, the "small face belt" is meant to help women to diminish their visages (and fight sagging cheeks and double chins too). It works just as you'd imagine. Fit the donut around your head, pump in air, and squeeze your chin and cheeks inward and upward.
Does it work? I couldn't tell you.
What I can tell you, however, is that understanding the consumer need that leads to these kinds of products has implications for anybody involved in the health and beauty field, especially when it comes to the area of functional cosmetics.
I was over on Uniqlo's Japanese website seeing whether they had come out with any interesting commercials lately when I ran across a little diversion that soon had me transfixed.
It's called the UNIQLOCK.
Basically it's a flash applet that interlaces video snippets with a digital clock that constantly updates the time. What's interesting about it is that the video features lithe dancers, dressed in simple Uniqlo apparel, performing choreography that feels something like a cross between ballet warm-ups and Pee Wee Herman or Mr. Bean. First you see the clock—simple digits resting on white or color backgrounds—then there's a video wipe, and the dancing girls appear. Every few seconds it alternates: clock, video, clock, video. Meanwhile you hear these ongoing music loops that sound like a mash-up of everything from Fats Waller to trance DJ Paul Van Dyk (the music is actually by Fantastic Plastic Machine) .
At first I found myself mesmerized in the same way that you can be mesmerized by a lava lamp in a dance club dungeon at 3 a.m. But five minutes later I felt like I should pull out all my hair and run through my neighborhood screaming (a feeling that quickly subsided after I turned the sound off).
Anyway, if you're a fan of quirky music and video, check it out. You'll also be happy to know that if you like what you see you can upload the clock to your website, or download it to your computer to use as your very own screen saver.
Once again, a Japanese company launches a new brand without checking what the name means in other languages. . .(or perhaps they simply don't care).
Bringing its very first apparel collection to Japanese women this Spring 2008 season, introducing Titty & Co.!
Some headlines just write themselves. . .
Introducing the latest in happy Japanese confectionery products: Look Happy Spring A La Mode, from Fujiya.
So check out this Japanese TV commercial for Halls lozenges. The guy opens the pack, pops a Halls into his mouth, inhales through his mouth, exhales out of his nostrils, and two miniature versions of himself pop out of his nose! Then, the miniatures breathe out, and from their noses pop out two more guys, then from their noses out come two more, and two more and so on. The lyrics from the background music go like this: "In from your throat, out through your nose, [breathe] in and out. It feels so good to [have the air] pass through." At the end, the actors repeat the line adding emphasis on "breathe in and out." The ad closes with narration and a terop that says “Halls Menthol Candies."
This is a prototypical Japanese ad that I just can't imagine being made in any western market. It's just too far out for the US where Halls are positioned as cough drops — the zaniness simply wouldn't fly. But in Japan, Halls is considered candy. What's medicine in one market is candy in another!
Halls released this ad to promote the introduction of new flavors. The actors appearing in the ad are a Japanese comedy group, which makes them appropriate for this kind of silliness.
You can see the commercial in its entirety here.
The Oshiri Kajiri Mushi ("Bottom Biting Bug") earned his fame through Minna no Uta ("Everybody's Song"), a children's program aired on Japan's public broadcasting network, NHK. You can get a sense for his goofiness—and why he's such a hit with kids—by watching the above video.
But it turns out kids aren't the BBB's only fans. Mono Comme Ca, a Japanese apparel brand that mainly appeals to those in their teens and twenties, has licensed his image for several products that are apparently selling well.
But why not get as much mileage out of the butt munching critter as possible? After all, it is Christmas season—the biggest retail opportunity of the year. . .
Ta daa!
Introducing the Mono Comme Ca Christmas window, complete with Christmas tree and village, and starring the Bottom Biting Bug as messenger of Yuletide cheer. The shop is located right across the street from the Meiji Shrine exit of Harajuku Station in Tokyo.
So, you're looking for a little something to spruce up your Japanese home or apartment at Christmas this year—are you willing to splurge a little?
How about indulging in a limited-edition box set of luxury tissues?
Known as the Sei Naru Cho Hana Celeb promotional two-pack, Oji Nepi a is releasing just 5,000 today through the online retailer Rakuten Ichiba. Featuring intricate holiday designs, the set contains "Silent White" and "Holy Black" and goes for a mere 3,000 yen ($26).
If you'd like a closer look at the packaging, visit the special Hana Celeb website.
But if you're thinking of buying, don't dawdle. Oji Nepia released a similarly priced special box set in February—and all 3,000 sold out on the same day.
