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Japan Through Mark's Elph Back to Elph Japan |
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I don't know why the Japanese people are fascinated by cute little things, but I have a few guesses-- the people appear to be generally smaller than most Americans, there is a shortage of space everywhere, and if you can't make big things because there is not space but still want to spend a lot of time on something, you simply must make it cuter. Ok, so I haven't exactly proven that theory with any science whatsoever, but I still had a blast enjoying all the cute little things in Japan. Allow me to share some of them with you...
<-- "Hitler Kitty" 
<-- Hello Kitty WINE
I call this the "Hitler Kitty." It has a real name that I have blocked from memory, and has nothing to do with Hitler, but is found throughout Japan. I believe it symbolizes the welcoming of money and good fortune into the shop or wherever it is displayed. It is cute, and most are little, though this one is actually a 10 foot tall inflatable character. Next to Hitler Kitty you can see the other, more famous cute little kitten from Japan, "Hello Kitty," or "Kitty" for short. Hello Kitty is found everywhere in Japan. I even saw a 40-foot picture of Kitty plastered to the side of an industrial building. Maddening. I had trouble maintaining my faith in human judgement when I noticed the multitude of products to which her face is applied. Above you see "Hello Kitty Wine." I once attended a very lovely concert of the Vienna Opera's Orchestra in Japan and managed to win a raffle prize of, amazingly, Hello Kitty Mayonnaise. You can imagine my near-violent disappointment when I discovered the true nature of my prize. Fortunately, they gave some wine to me in the same little bag, but I used that up quickly to soften the Mayo blow. Just in case you are wondering, you can get Hello Kitty affixed to Mini-Disk players, irons, rice-makers, and too much other stuff. God help us all.
Cute little slippers. Really little cute slippers. Really little cute slippers that are found in every house and hotel across Japan, eagerly waiting for really little PEOPLE to use them. We are all familiar with the idea of "one size fits all," and that generally means that I, being relatively normal-sized, will fit. I thought that these slippers would fit me, but in Japan the saying seems to have been slightly changed to "one size fits SMall." I never ever found a pair of slippers in Japan that fit me. Heck, I never found a pair to even pass the arch of my foot! Somebody could make a lot of money by selling "tourist-capable 'one-size-fits-all'" slippers in Japan. Or perhaps I should try to sell cute little heel extensions for cute little slippers? All I can say is that it hurts to walk in them, but it is an insult to your host to NOT wear them, so I walked in them, and I hurt.
This is a gratuitous inside joke for the church community in Japan. Apologies to the masses. This little fellow played the role of, you guessed it, a "Large Tree." He was the cutest, littlest, large tree that I ever did see.
<-- Tonka?
And now for the cute little finale of the cute little section. This is a construction vehicle, complete with soft, rounded edges and bright pastel colors. It, along with most Japanese construction vehicles, look like children's toys, and we're not talking "Tonka." We're talking about Fisher Price. Needless to say, however, these cute little machines are expertly crafted with the awesome consistency of Japanese manufacturing.
