Search Results for: village vanguard

December 12

2015 Top Ten Crazy Gifts From Japan!

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It’s time for Only In Japan’s yearly holiday gift round-up, and it looks like 2015 is holding its own! I can pretty much guarantee you’ll be the only one to bestow one of these awesome gifts from Japan on your nearest and dearest… 10. Warm in winter, cool in summer, give this CREEPY CONSTRUCTION WORKER HEAD TOWEL, so they can enjoy displaying their brains as […]

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December 11

Ten Best Stocking Stuffers From Japan!

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10. SUSHI SOCKS 9. DIY CROSS STITCH PHONE CASE 8. ANIMAL SKELETONS 7. DEVIL WAX 6. EYELID EXERCISER 5. EMOJI EYE MASK 4. DEODORANT CANDY 3. NINJA SNACK PICKS 2. THE STATUE OF TOO MUCH LIBERTY 1. PIGGY ZAPPER And of course, if there are any book lovers on your list, you can get your shopping done in a flash, because the Only In […]

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December 02

Top Ten Only In Japan Holiday Gifts 2014!

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10. What do you give the person who has everything? They’ve already got a one-shot coffee maker. And a one-shot tea machine. But I bet they don’t have a ONE-SHOT MISO SOUP MAKER! 9. Landing a blow for equal opportunity character pillows, the otaku girls on your list will love sleeping with the SINGING PRINCE DREAM CUSHION! 8. […]

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August 24

Slightly Creepy, And Yet…

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Solve the perennial problem of having to listen to the life story of the ex-schoolteacher from Peoria on your next flight out of Tokyo by donning one of these luridly realistic eye masks! Choose from Unblinking Mass Murderer, Flight Panic Stare, Mad Scientist Who Is Looking For Subjects For His Next Experiment, Loony Bin Escapee, […]

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December 16

Top Ten Only In Japan Holiday Gifts 2012!

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10. For the film maven on your list who camped overnight in line at the movie theatre to see the new Evangelion…ANIME EYES SLEEP MASKS (seen at Village Vanguard) 9. For the octopus ball lover who just can’t get enough of a good thing…JUMBO DIY TAKOYAKI MAKER (seen at Tokyu Hands) 8. For the vampire gourmet…BLOOD […]

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December 04

Make Your Room Smell Like You’ve Been Smoking Weed, Even If You Haven’t!

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Um, was it Opposite Day or were the geniuses at HEM just a little unclear on the concept when they dreamed up this product? “Hey boy, smells like you been smokin’ some illegal substances in here!” “No, I swear, it’s just incense!” Saw these at  the Village Vanguard store in Shimo-kitazawa. If you’d like to be […]

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November 26

Dieting Made Easy

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If you’ve been searching for a miracle diet that’s guaranteed to make you eat less – or not at all! – at every meal, your quest for the holy grail has ended! Introducing the “Curry Plate Of Shape Of Toilet.” Yes, this white porcelain plate is a perfect replica of a Japanese squat-style toilet. Paired […]

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September 28

If Darth Hadn’t Been An Absentee Father…

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“D-a-a-a-d-d-y!” “What?” “Greedo pushed me!” “Hmm, who pushed first?” This is a page from “Darth Vader & Son,” a book written originally in English by Jeffrey Brown, but it’s especially funny to me in Japanese because kids are kids and parents are parents, the world over. You know? Saw this at  the Village Vanguard store in […]

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September 23

Do It Yourself…Acupuncture?

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Wow, one can only imagine the mischief some extreme DIYer might get into with this handy plastic head from Village Vanguard. It helpfully details all the points on your head and face where you can poke yourself with sharp needles to cure what ails you. If you see your mom come home with one of […]

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September 17

Jimi X Linus?!

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What next, Janis X Lucy? Snoopy X Snoop Dogg? Although I have to admit that these Jimi X Linus and Bob X Linus t-shirts made me laugh, they ARE sort of the squid-and-seaweed-pizza of cultural mashups. Saw these at  the Village Vanguard store in Shimo-kitazawa. If you’d like to be amazed by the weird goods there […]

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September 12

Our Lady Of Glow In The Dark

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I’m still trying to figure out the pop fascination with Catholic symbols here in Japan. Totally divorced from religious tradition (Christianity never got much of a toehold here, thanks to serious banning of outsiders before 1868), for some reason stylish tough guys wear Our Lady Of Rude Kustoms on the back of their motorcycle jackets […]

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June 26

Fake IDs for Cats

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What’s a cat to do when it’s time to party, but his kitten face gets him carded everywhere he goes? Smart felines get themselves a fake ID! Whether puss’s name is Fuzzball or McLovin, these totally realistic looking Japanese drivers licenses are sure to fool even the most suspicious bouncer. Kampai! Saw these at  the […]

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June 19

The Ashlet

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With a play on words that’s appreciated by everyone in Japan who has used Toto’s legendary Washlet toilet, behold the Ashlet! While sadly lacking an exhaust fan like the genuine Washlet, it does have a cigarette-extinguishing bidet function, and gives cigarette smokers a handy place to um, park their butts. Saw these at  the Village Vanguard store in […]

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June 15

Pickle-flavored Pringles

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Japanese consumers eat pickles by the gallon, but not THESE kind of pickles. Rating three splats on the Sour-O-Meter, Screamin’ Dill Pickle Pringles are the most mysterious flavor I’ve seen yet. I mean, last time I checked, sourness wasn’t the most prized attribute of potato chips. I can tell they’re not a locally developed product because the […]

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