- Oh, Japan.
Never a shortage of material
to make YouTube videos from in that country.
Japan really is an amazing country with great culture.
I mean, sushi?
Come on!
But with such a large population,
there's going to be some people
who are into niche things, weird things,
and weird products that they're willing to spend money on.
Oh.
Huh.
Ah.
Here are 10 weird products that only exist in Japan.
Number 10 are eye fans and heaters.
You know, sometimes our eyes get cold
from being outside for too long,
and sometimes they need a quick cooling
from the recent onion-slicing session.
Well, either way,
Japan has a few products to help you out.
Oh, your eyes are cold?
Then reach out for one of these
Tensai Bakabon Honkan-san USB-powered eye warmers.
They couldn't have shortened the name a bit?
Not only will your eyes
literally get heated up quite nicely,
but you'll get to look like a freaky anime character
with bulging eyes in the process.
Ah, and isn't that the dream?
But alternatively, if the tears are building up,
then pull out a pair of onion-cutting goggles.
With a handy built-in fan on either side of them,
these things will keep the tear-causing onion gas
at bay and your eyes dry.
Finally.
I've been waiting for the day when someone
would invent something that makes simple things
like closing my eyes or even crying over with.
(laughs)
This world is weird.
Number nine is toilet paper head dispenser.
Sure, why not?
On the positive side,
while this contraption does ensure that you'll be
less embarrassed by not having to run out of toilet paper,
it definitely adds to the embarrassment
where the spare roll is located.
You know, firmly atop ya own head.
Yes, the Hay Fever Hat
from Japanese innovation company Chindogu
is meant to provide relief for sneezing and runny noses
by giving you tissue as close
to your own forehead as possible.
The hat comes complete with a chin strap
to make sure it never slides off your noggin
and a rolling toilet paper roll on top,
which sends the sheets of white paper down
over your face to block any sudden sneezes that,
heh, might shoot out of you.
Of course, you've probably never seen
these things out in the public eye.
I wonder why that is!
Number eight is a Cyberdyne HAL exoskeleton.
I'm afraid I'm going to have to make you look weird, Dave.
Ever since Robert Downey Jr. brought the Marvel character
Iron Man to the new generation in 2008,
people have been longing for the chance
to operate their own super-suit.
Well, you guessed it.
Leave it to the Japanese company Cyberdyne to come
super-close to creating Tony Stark's fictional technology.
The result is the HAL exoskeleton,
a full-body external piece of technology
that could one day change the world.
HAL, which stands for Hybrid Assistive Limb,
has helped a number of people who have suffered
spinal injuries, strokes, or been diagnosed
with other physical disabilities.
The suit gives the wearer an increase in strength
between two to 10 times their natural ability.
You can't launch missiles, talk to an AI, or fly,
but the thing can lift heavy things
and admittedly just makes you look super-cool.
Number seven is marriage-helping bras.
Oh, we gettin' nasty.
Triumph International, a lingerie-making company in Japan,
has decided that in addition to making
supportive garments for women,
they want to help those women meet their future husband
by literally letting everyone know
that they're on the hunt for Mr. Right.
The Konkatsu Bra gives the wearer the opportunity
to throw their husband-finding into high gear
by setting a timer for how long they have
before they're engaged.
The timer glows bright red
and counts down until an engagement ring
is placed inside a holder between the two cups,
at which point the Wedding March plays.
Adding to the weirdness of this bizarre device,
as if that was even possible,
it comes with heart-shaped oven mitts and apron,
a piece of cloth with the wearer's phone number
that can be accidentally dropped,
and a pen to sign up for a marriage license or prenup.
Number six is never-ending bubble wrap.
Oh, yes, yes, we need that in North America!
I love bubble wrap!
While it did technically make its way
to the United States in 2008,
the Mugen Puchi Puchi bubble wrap toy
didn't quite take the country by storm and failed.
That, despite the fact that everyone loves
popping those little clear packaging bubbles.
(bubbles popping)
The device simulates bubble wrap
under squishable rubber bubbles
and a sound box that plays the sound
of actual wrapped air pockets being popped,
only it's been reported that the pops
don't really sound like real bubble wrap breaks at all.
This is mostly because the speaker obviously needs
to be cheap to keep costs down in production.
The real kicker about this product, though,
is that after every 100 successful pops,
the Puchi Puchi plays other odd sounds,
like farts, door chimes, dogs barking,
or even just a sexy voice.
Hey, just like real bubble wrap!
(laughs)
Right?
Number five is the poking box.
In 2008, the Japanese company Bandai
released a device that looks like a cross
between a Tamagotchi and some sort of finger exerciser.
It's a cubic electronic game
called the Tuttuki Bako, or poking box,
and it's about as close to
edge-of-your-seat gaming as what I would imagine
an accumulating dust contest would look like.
These small devices have five mini-games called stages
that are fairly boring, according to reviews,
but what really makes this item interesting
is that it needs your actual finger inside of it to work.
Once inside, your digit gets a digital clone,
which you can use to poke at a small blob that bounces
or the face of a girl as you try to make her
sneeze.
You can even operate a teeter-totter
with a stick figure at the other end.
And you thought PlayStations and Nintendos were cool.
Hah!
Number four is the armpit fan.
Everybody sweats!
But of course we prefer not to show off any of that sweat
unless it's rippling down our perfect six-packs.
But unless you never leave air conditioning
or never exert yourself in any way,
how do you stop all those ugly pit stains from appearing?
Well, of course there's a simple way
to get rid of such humiliation
by trying an electric armpit clip-on cooler fan.
Mm, sounds convenient.
This, let's call it handy little device,
clips onto your sleeve and shoots cool air
up your arms to keep your underarms nice and dry.
So basically you have two options.
You can have wet spots under your arms,
or you can make it look like you have
two air fresheners on your sleeves.
Ladies, ladies, yes.
So fresh and so clean.
What?
You don't want to date me?
Okay.
Number three is noiseless karaoke.
Are you sick of other people hearing
your horrible rendition of Taylor Swift's
Shake It Off every single day when you get out of bed?
Ha ha, me too.
Well, today, for the super-low price of only $109 U.S.,
you can stop those noisy listeners from hearing a thing
while you still belt out your favorite karaoke hit.
Introducing the Noiseless Karaoke Mute Mic 2,
a device that literally allows you to sing
loud and proud into the microphone that's muted by a cup,
so only you can really hear it.
You can even get two so you can sing silently in a duet.
Noiseless karaoke mics have actually been a bit of a hit
and are now available for Wii, PC, Macs, and tablets.
Now you too can not be heard singing anywhere
without going through the trouble of simply not singing.
Number two is the ear scope.
Do you ever wonder what's going on inside of your ear?
Huh huh, me too.
It's hard to know for sure,
no matter how quickly you turn your head
and try to peek down there.
Ho ho ho!
Besides, it's probably gross,
and many of us would rather not go down that road.
But for everyone else, there's the ear scope.
This piece of modern Japanese technology
genuinely provides you with a live feed
of what's going on inside those holes in ya head,
with a fiber-optic camera attached to a small monitor.
You literally stare into an eyepiece
and see, agk, everything that's in your ear.
Even that crayon you shoved in there when you were five.
Still in there.
They can even give you up to a five-time magnification,
in case you really want to see that gunk up close.
(gags)
Maybe leave the ear cleaning to the professionals, baby.
And number one is the tongue control.
Are you sick of using your hands to click things
on the computer, tablet, or smart phone,
and the idea of using voice-activated assistants
just seems like way too much effort?
Then why not opt in for a device
where you can control it with a
(licks)
flick of your tongue?
The Mimi Switch looks like a pair of headphones,
but it uses infrared sensors that are manipulated
through the minuscule movements that occur
in your ears when you make certain
facial expressions to control a microcomputer.
They can be used to operate anything
from an MP3 player to your washer and dryer
using customizable expressions,
including sticking out your tongue,
widening your eyes, and winking.
Okay, okay, sure, every time something surprises you,
you'll probably end up rewinding the song
that you're listening to,
but isn't that worth the ability
to not have to use your hands or voice?
No. No, it isn't.
Oh, weird products that only exist in Japan.
Who knew?
Would you guys buy any of these in all seriousness?
Leave a comment, because I need to know.
Would you actually spend your hard-earned money on a
tongue
flicker?
Let me know.
Se you next time.