English in Japan frequently takes on a very special flavor, and I've fallen in love with some of the heartwarmingly amusing mangled phrases to be found on product labels and in shop windows, so much that I bought a disposable camera with the sole purpose of always having a camera on me to capture the next Japanese flight of fancy. Affectionately termed Engrish, there is already a website dedicated to this particular local variety of what is becoming an increasingly global language. I cannot and do not want to compete with this mother of all sites; my aim is merely to share some of the more amusing instances of Engrish that my Engrishcam (or my regular camera) has captured. Not included are those linked to my Nihon News II, where I discuss the Engrish phenomenon in quite some detail. Here are the first few pictures.

Fetishist sentiments on a vending machine


A third of Hokkaido's butter is in this tube


Where foods lead a comfortable lifestyle


Emancipated electric cookware


Nagasaki. Women's clothing - I think...


Your take on tea says a lot about you


Oh those vicious plurals


Any time, Any where
All friends come together and
drink beer with fun.
It's excellent to drink beer with
all the people!


A close-up look reveals a long-standing tradition


Truly epoch-making


Small indeed - this one's the milk variety