Harajuku Boy in Kobinai Pink Floral Jacket, Vintage Pink Pants & Pink Vans Sneakers

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This is Kanade, who turned heads with his striking pink ensemble while strolling along the streets of Harajuku.

The 19-year-old student was clad in a pink collared jacket from Kobinai, which featured chest pockets and multicolored floral print. Kanade styled it with a yellow graphic T-shirt with a ribbed neckline from Dododo and vintage pink track pants. He completed his look with white socks, pink lace-up sneakers, and layered silver chain necklaces.

Kanade considers Kobinai as a fashion favorite, and he also enjoys listening to music from Twice. Follow him on both Instagram and Twitter.

Click on any photo to enlarge it.

Japanese Street Fashion

Drone-powered parasols possibly coming to Japanese golf courses in 2019

https://ift.tt/2svhp7R Master Blaster

Oh, you use a stick to hold your parasol? How…quaint.

For centuries, mankind has had to block out the harmful effects of the sun’s rays by holding a parasol…like a bunch of chumps.

For too long, those cumbersome bumbershoots have occupied the valuable real-estate of our hands when they could be doing something far more productive, like playing Rock-Paper-Scissors against themselves and/or drinking.

Now, humanity has harnessed the awesome power of drones and created the most advanced parasol to date: Free Parasol.

That’s “Free” in the sense of freedom. These 150-centimeter (59-inch) wide things are hardly free of charge and are expected to cost 30,000 yen (US$275) a piece. However, each one is equipped with AI software that can detect the top of your head and lock on to it, providing dedicated shade on those hot and sunny days.

The prototype in the video weighs about five kilograms (11 pounds) and can fly for about 20 minutes on a single charge. However, it is planned to bring Free Parasol down to one kilo (two pounds) and give it a flight time of one hour by the time it hits the market in 2019.

In addition to freeing up your hands so you can play the bagpipes or crash cymbals as you walk about, the drone propellers’ downwash also provides a soothing breeze on those especially muggy days. Those same propellers will be caged to prevent injury in the seemingly likely event that they bump into people’s heads.

As the technology improves, the makers at Asahi Power Service hope to waterproof them so they can be used as umbrellas in the rain as well. They probably have to make those engines pretty strong to compensate for the winds, or else we’re going to be seeing a lot of lost Free Parasols aimlessly wandering the streets of Japan in the future.

There’s also the issue of laws and regulations regarding drones that make it impossible for someone to just pick one up and use it as a parasol in public all willy-nilly. Asahi is aware of this and is only expecting to sell Free Parasols in private areas like golf courses for the time being.

Chances are that things won’t change anytime soon, so it’ll probably be a while yet before we see road-worthy Free Parasols. In the meantime, may we recommend our own, hands-free umbrella and smartphone holder? We think you’ll like it.

Either way you do it, it’s time for humanity to evolve from the tyranny of parasol and umbrella handles so that we may be ready to applaud at all times – rain or shine – when something impressive suddenly happens. Even bonobos can do that.

Source: Asahi Power Services, Newswitch, Hachima Kiko
Images, video: YouTube/hiti0253

Cutie Honey anime inspires three daringly sexy lingerie sets【Photos】

https://ift.tt/2kDcb6A Casey Baseel

Anime/manga legend Go Nagai’s ode to racy fun is immortalized in intimate apparel covering the span from cute to domineering.

Manga author Go Nagai has been in the comic-creating business for 50 years, and he was at the initial forefront of many visual and storytelling elements that have come to define the distinctive style of anime and manga. For instance, Nagai’s Cutie Honey (star of the franchise of the same name) was one of the very first manga heroines who was not only superpowered, but also unabashedly sexy.

As part of the ongoing celebration of Nagai’s five-decade career, this year saw the debut of Cutie Honey Universe, a modern reboot of the series. And since Cutie Honey has always been a symbol of risque fun, the new show has now in turn inspired three imaginative anime lingerie sets.

Since Cutie Honey herself is a transforming magical girl (which was still a relatively novel idea back when Cutie Honey debuted in 1973), the character is represented by two different lingerie sets. The first is based on her iconic post-transformation battle gear, with athletic-looking cords angling up from the low-rise waist band and a see-through section in the back. Also included are a white choker and arm bangle, matching the ones Honey sports in the anime.

The sexiness is dialed down a bit to allow a touch more cuteness into the mix for the Honey Kisaragi set, which salutes Cutie Honey’s “ordinary schoolgirl” secret identity and includes the red choker and bangle she wears when not actively fighting evil.

Finally, for those who like their lingerie both sexy and sinister, there’s a set for Sister Jill, Honey’s sadistic nemesis. Featuring a plunging gap between its cups and half-oval opening in back (adorned with a dainty lavender ribbon), Sister Jill’s lingerie also comes bundled with an eye mask patterned after her dominatrix-style mask/tiara.

All three sets are available online here from manufacturer Izumi Body Labo (the same company that previously offered that eye-catching Zodiac sign intimate apparel). Orders will be accepted between June 1 and 30, with each set priced at 6,264 yen (US$57). Shipping is scheduled for October, with selfies from buxom cosplayers expected soon after.

Sources: Izumi Body Labo, PR Times
Top image: Izumi Body Labo
Insert images: Izumi Body Labo (1, 2, 3)

Harry Potter and the what?! Netizen’s childhood artwork draws laughs from Japanese Twitter

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J Dale Roll

At first you’ll be impressed with this drawing, but then you’ll want to laugh when you scroll down to see the rest.

It’s well known that the creative capabilities of children go far beyond anything many of us adults can dream of. Sometimes the results of their imagination can actually be a little creepy, but usually it just ends up in whimsical, colorful drawings and stories that inspire, or, in many cases, amuse us adults.

One Japanese netizen, @pkpksp1058, found an old childhood drawing of theirs, and thought it was so amusing they shared it on Twitter. It was in a blank-paged notebook that they apparently used for doodling, and they posted the picture with the caption, “My elementary school general purpose notebook was used very liberally.”

It’s a drawing of the first Harry Potter movie’s poster, complete with Hogwarts Castle, Harry, Hagrid, and Hedwig at the top. At first glance, it’s drawn fairly well; the proportions are slightly off, but the artist clearly paid attention to the details on the logo and of the characters. But scroll down and you’ll see that this poster is not actually of any preexisting Harry Potter story; in plain handwriting they wrote the unique title of this movie: “Harry Potter and the Immaculate Bathtub.”

小学生のときの自由帳がマジで自由 https://t.co/bGqO9UiAOv

—
わすきい@pkmn (@pkpksp1058) May 27, 2018

Immaculate bathtub?! We’ve never heard of this Harry Potter story, but if it’s anything like the other books, it’s sure to be entertaining. We’d like to know what this artist’s childhood self was thinking when they drew this, but @pkpksp1058 doesn’t even know. The mystery of the Immaculate Bathtub will have to remain with us forever.

Naturally, the tweet spread quickly through Japanese Twitter, whose commenters were all amused:

“I love how one of the kanji in “immaculate” was written in hiragana. It makes it feel so childlike.”
“I saw this on another website and laughed so hard. Thank you!”
“That’s funny! Nice sense!”
“I’ve been going through a hard time lately, but when I saw this I burst out laughing for the first time in a while. Thank you!”
“I wonder where the bathtub came from hahaha”
“I really want to read this story!”

▼ One netizen even took the liberty of making a brand new movie poster. Notable features are the bathrobe-clad Snape and McGonagall, which are hilarious.

@pkpksp1058 https://t.co/HUvSGx9C1b

—
けしごむ←B.sax (@keshi7034) May 29, 2018

I’m not sure how this story fits into the Harry Potter franchise, but it probably comes after the Harry Potter and All of the Melons movie released by Chinese bootleggers some time ago. Either way, thanks be to childhood creativity for gifting us with this gem.

Source: Twitter/@pkpksp1058 via Togech
Featured Image: Twitter/@pkpksp1058

Regular cup noodle bowls not enough for you? Try this 2000+ calorie instant yakisoba instead!

https://ift.tt/2LMZnXR Dale Roll

One pound of noodles should suffice, don’t you think?

Cup noodles are beloved worldwide. With so many varieties of noodles, including soba, ramen, udon, and yakisoba, combined with tons of different flavors like abalone and oyster stew, miso ginger, and pizza, and super easy, five-minute-or-less preparation, it’s easy to say why. They’re cheap, convenient, and darn delicious.

Except sometimes they don’t quite seem like enough food. Do you ever finish a bowl of cup noodles and think, “I’m still hungry”? Do you ever feel somewhat satisfied by a cup noodle bowl, but then an hour later you’re hungry again? Well, now there’s a solution: Peyoung’s Super Super Super Big Portion GIGAMAX Yakisoba.

Peyoung is a big dry food brand in Japan, and a core division of their products is instant yakisoba. Their ordinary size cup yakisoba comes in 120 gram (4.2-ounce) packs, which might not be enough for some people, but even those with the heartiest of appetites will probably be completely satisfied with GIGAMAX’s whopping 439 grams of noodles. To clarify, that’s almost one pound of yakisoba.

One pound of yakisoba!!

How many calories are in one pound of yakisoba, including its sauce and vegetable toppings? 2,142 calories. That’s more than the recommended caloric intake for a whole day for most adults. If you’re on any kind of diet, don’t even look at this instant yakisoba, because it also contains over 235 grams of carbohydrates and over 120 grams of fat.

▼ This is an ordinary Peyoung Yakisoba cup noodle bowl. Picture this, times four.

Seriously, this cup noodle is not for weenies. One pound of noodles may not sound like much, but considering GIGAMAX contains four standard servings of yakisoba, if you’re not prepared to eat like a yakisoba king, you won’t make it to the bottom of this bowl. It’s so big that it even says on the logo, “Please don’t eat more than one of these per day.” Challenge accepted.

▼ It probably won’t be as much as this, but we can work our way up.

It’s not hitting stores until June 18 in Kanto, and then July 9 in the rest of the Japan, so if you plan on taking on this giant serving of instant yakisoba, you have some time to train your stomach. You’ll want to practice bingeing on carbs, so try this mega pasta or the 2.2 pound rice ball while you’re waiting. Your heart might not appreciate it, but your taste buds will definitely thank you.

Source: Ascii Gourmet via Nico Nico News via My Game News Flash
Top Image: Pakutaso
Insert Images: Peyoung Product Page (1), SoraNews24 (2), Pakutaso  (3)

Japanese thief steals thousands of dollars of fish from Kobe market, cleans up after himself

https://ift.tt/2kFJHt0 Casey Baseel

Japan’s seafood proves itself to be criminally delicious.

Living in Japan gives you access to some of the best seafood in the world, as it’s an island nation where being a serious foodie has been more or less the norm for generations. Fish here is of consistently high quality in grocery stores and restaurants, but if you want the most delicious specimens, you’ll need to go to one of the country’s dedicated fish markets.

That was the plan of the man in the video below, shared by FNN. However, you may notice that the market, which is located in Kobe’s Nada Ward, looks suspiciously devoid of shoppers or staff, and that’s because the man sneaked in after hours.

What you’ll also notice is that when he comes out of the market, he’s carrying a bucket and a large, full bag, neither of which he had when he went in. That’s because he’s suspected of being behind a string of recent robberies at the market, helping himself to roughly a dozen varieties of prized premium-priced fish such as sea bream and longtooth grouper.

In the security footage shown above, some four hours pass between when the man first appears and finally leaves the market. His lengthy stay isn’t just because he’s taking his time to browse the selection, though. Merchants report that the thief is actually cleaning the fish he steals right there in their shops. “He’s got a lot of nerve. He uses my cutting board like it belongs to him,” grumbles Noboru Otani, one of the fishmongers whose shop has been hit, though he adds that the thief also washes the board he uses before leaving.

Small acts of consideration aside, the robberies are still legitimate crimes, with the total cost of the stolen fish estimated to be in the neighborhood of 200,000 yen (US$1,830). The police are proceeding with the investigation under the working theory that the perpetrator is someone with knowledge about seafood, though it’s unknown if he’s stealing the fish to resell on some sort of sashimi black market, or simply eating them himself.

Source: Yahoo! Japan News/FNN via Hachima Kiko, FNN Prime
Top image: Photo Chips

Fun Harajuku Girls in Colorful Street Styles w/ San To Nibun No Ichi, RRR Show Room, Kiki2, Kinji & Pinnap

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Meet Saya and Okusako, two 17-year-old students whose colorful streetwear outfits caught our eye on the Harajuku street.

Sporting a beige fur hat from Global Work, Okusako is dressed in a white quilted bomber jacket with a tiger and back embroidery, styled with layered tops of white turtleneck and blue striped button shirt – all of which are from San To Nibun No Ichi. Red RRR Show Room denim pants, cinched with a black belt -also from RRR Show Room – and tucked into black leather shoes from Dr. Martens completed Okusako’s outfit. She accessorized her look with a blue cocktail ring from Kinji and she is carrying a red sling bag over one shoulder. San To Nibun No Ichi is Okusako’s favorite brand, and she likes the music of Kenshi Yonezu. Follow Okusako on Twitter and Instagram.

At the right is Saya, whose ensemble features an orange Tommy Hilfiger zip-up mock-neck sweater from Pinnap, which she wore over an orange sweatshirt and yellow plaid shorts from Kiki2. Pink Powerpuff Girls socks, white platform sneakers from Yosuke, a pink-and-purple belt bag from Kiki2, and cute rings from Kiki2 and Kinji completed her colorful style. Saya mentioned that Kiki2 is one of her favorite fashion shops. Follow Saya on Instagram.

Click on any photo to enlarge it.

Tokyo Street Style

Love Live! Sunshine!! debuts sailor uniform rucksacks and pouches that look like an anime girl’s torso

https://ift.tt/2L8qefF Katy Kelly

The idol anime mega franchise has a new set of stylish bags to prove your devotion to Uranohoshi High, but they might be daunting to wear outside.

Any fanatic worth their salt knows that Japan is the number one place to grab cute merchandise. For example, if you’re a Pokémon fan then you can buy anything here, from earrings to engagement rings featuring the cute little critters. Usually the biggest sellers are rubber straps, posters and stationery, but occasionally a franchise will splash out and create something really special, like the commemorative Utena wine or one of the many Sailor Moon fashion line-ups.

Fans of Love Live!, the ever-optimistic multimedia franchise about nine schoolgirls who form an idol unit, are spoilt for choice in this regard. The merchandise is so varied and bountiful that it’s hard to cram all the goods of just one girl into an itabag. The series’ second chapter, Love Live! Sunshine!!, is bringing out a helpful new product to store all your excess charms and manga inside, but you might be surprised at the angle they took with the design…

▼ The rucksacks and pouches emulate the top half of the Aqours girls’ school uniforms, complete with stiff sailor collar

Retailer Tokyo Otaku Mode opened pre-orders for the new line of rucksacks and wallets on May 24, and fans will be able to choose between three different bags, with each having a different colored necktie accessory representing the school year. First years get a pretty dandelion yellow, second years get a deep crimson and third years get a stylish aqua green.

▼ The second years’ version in all its glory

▼ The ‘back’ shot (actually the front of the bag) shows off the collar

What better way to show your commitment to the Aqours girls’ fictional high school than to carry around a backpack that looks like the torso of an attending member? It’s almost like you get to go to school with them yourself… almost.

Each backpack is crafted from a mix of 100 percent cotton and synthetic leather, while the lining is polyster. Each bag is 37 centimeters by 42 centimeters (14.6 inches by 16.5 inches) and comes with two sturdy straps at the top, and golden hooks to attach the rucksack straps. You can carry your headless backpack whichever way you like!

▼ The first years’ cute yellow necktie looks great!

▼ The aqua green necktie for third years comes with a gold clip

They also have a bounty of hidden pockets and a cute set of silver studs, just like the girls’ uniforms in the show. And how much for this incredible, bizarre accessory? A mere 5,500 yen (US$50.70) plus tax.

If you feel a little uncomfortable about paying top dollar to tote around a bag that looks like a cross-section of a schoolgirl, there’s the additional option of a pouch on the same theme.

This one also comes in the red, yellow and green neckties for each of the girls’ years, and spans 22 centimeters by 15 centimeters (8.7 inches by 5.9 inches). The smart cut of the pouch emphasizes the sailor suit collar of the uniform, so it looks mega cute even to those who don’t recognize the anime school it’s supposed to represent.

▼ It’s the perfect size to store all of my Chika Takami keychains in!

You can grab one of these cute pouches for 3,500 yen plus tax.

All of the bags and pouches are lined with a gorgeous print relating to the characters from that year, so you can have fun admiring them from both outside and inside.

▼ Pictured here are the symbols for third years Dia Kurosawa, Kanan Matsuura and Mari Ohara, plus the Aqours logo.

While you can pre-order the bags from the Tokyo Otaku Mode website, the bags aren’t planned to ship until October. So you can grab one in good time for Winter Comiket 2018, or use it as a prop in a ghoulish Halloween costume.

The fan response to these fashion items has been positive, with Twitter users boasting about their pre-orders for a preferred year’s pouch and bag.

▼ “Got my order in for the new sailor rucksack and pouch… the first year version, of course! October is so far away…”

ラブライブサンシャインの制服リュックとポーチのセットを予約しちゃいました。もち一年生！！ 発売が10月は長いけどね。 https://t.co/WuICQ3Glal

—
なまちゅー708 (@namacyu708) May 24, 2018

Still, some fans are scratching their heads at the Love Live! Sunshine!! merchandising department. It wasn’t too long ago that they came out with the Nippers, after all.

▼ “Most puzzling merch decisions from Love Live! Sunshine!!: 1. The Nipper 2. Sailor Suit Bags 3. ????”

ラブライブサンシャイン三大謎グッズ 1.ニッパー 2.制服リュック&ポーチ 3.？？？ https://t.co/VH2yf3tNGj

—
あるどぅ( 'ω'o🍅 (@nagomilsu) May 24, 2018

The fact that from behind it could look like you’re carrying away a teenager hasn’t escaped the fans’ scrutiny either. One user commented: “I have no idea where I’m meant to use this” while another chimed in with, “if you guys wear these rucksacks you’re just gonna look like criminals”.

One of the primary messages of Love Live! Sunshine!! is school pride and doing your best in the face of adversity, so stick it to those online commenters by wearing your schoolgirl backpack without fear! Or just go with the pouch. As Aqours sing themselves, “Daisuki dattara Daijoubu!” (“It’s okay if you love it!”) and if you really do love it, you’d better hurry and pre-order before a Buso Liver buys up all the stock for their next suit of armor!

Source: Otakomu.jp, Tokyo Otaku Mode
Images: Tokyo Otaku Mode

Monochrome 99%IS- Japanese Streetwear, DVMVGE Waist Bag, YRU & Maison Margiela

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It was difficult to miss Kenta on the streets of Harajuku with his eye-catching black-and-white outfit, mixed prints, and a bright red hat.

The 21-year-old donned a monochrome printed top and matching pants from 99%IS- styled with a vintage faux fur jacket with cow print. Kenta also wore towering white platform sneakers from YRU and a red beret for a pop of color. He completed his look with a DVMVGE (Damage) waist bag, oversized silver hoop earrings, and a large silver necklace. His accessories are from Maison Margiela.

Kenta counts Patricia Field as a fashion favorite, and he often posts style updates on Instagram.

Click on any photo to enlarge it.

Japanese Street Fashion

AI security cameras coming to stores in Japan, reduce shoplifting by 40 percent

https://ift.tt/2L8dohC Master Blaster

Now, if a clerk asks to help you, it probably means you’ve been acting shady.

Artificial intelligence continues to seep into our daily lives, touching up photos, developing snacks, and imitating school girls online. Now, AI has been tasked with tackling a crime as old as retail itself: shoplifting.

A recent study by telecom giant NTT found that Japanese businesses lose around 400 billion yen (US$3.7B) annually through five-fingered discounts. No store is immune to this larceny, except perhaps anvil shops, and technology has yet to come up with a strong enough solution to effectively combat it, until now.

NTT and tech company Earth Eyes have joined up to create AI Guardman (“guardman” is the common Japanese-English word for “security guard”). This is a new type of security camera that is backed up with an AI system that can detect behaviors attributed to shoplifters.

The way it works is simple. The camera watches the store interior and identifies all the humans inside as they walk about. AI Guardman is aware of the different techniques commonly used by shoplifters in different types of stores, such as looking for blindspots in supermarkets or constantly checking one’s surroundings in bookstores.

If one shopper exhibits motions and postures typical of a shoplifter in that type of store, an alert will be sent to the clerk’s smartphone telling them the location and a photo of the suspect. 

The clerk then goes over to the person and asks, “Good day! Can I help you find something today?” The friendly approach is effective enough at spooking potential sticky-fingers out of their thefts, but can also lead to genuine customer service in the event the AI screwed up.

Using their smartphone, the clerk logs whether or not they confronted the suspect, and the results are shared by both the store and AI Guardman system to improve their security. This way, even if shoplifters get wise to the system and begin to change their tactics, the AI can automatically keep up with them.

Preliminary tests appear to be effective as well. Trials have been conducted by major retailers such as electronics megastore Bic Camera, drug store Kirindo, and sporting goods store Xebio. One particular store reported a drop in shoplifting losses from 3.5 million yen ($32,000) per yer to 2 million ($18,000), and it is expected that the system will get stronger as it is used.

Before you consider buying one to protect your own personal valuables from pilfering siblings, the AI Guardman costs a fair amount. One camera, which has a range of 13 meters (43 feet) across 144 degree swath, costs 238,000 yen ($2,200) up front. Then, there’s the 4,500 yen ($41) per camera monthly fee for usage of the cloud data it produces.

Considering the potential savings in lost merchandise, it would be a small price to pay for businesses, however. It will also be interesting to see if humans can actually adapt to this AI and find more creative ways to steal, or if such technology will actually be the end of shoplifting as we know it.

On a personal level it will also be interesting. Sometimes, when I’m lingering extra long at the convenience store because I can’t decide if I want a curry donut or melon bread, I wonder if I’m looking particularly shopliftery. Now, when someone asks if they can help me, I’ll know for sure. Thanks AI!

Source: NTT, IT Media, Hachima Kiko
Top image: YouTube/Earth Eyes
Insert image: @Press (1, 2)

Japanese woman adorably/accidentally tells workplace supplier about her massive poop

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J Casey Baseel

Those aren’t hearts the penguin is dancing around.

One of the keys to being happy is letting yourself celebrate the small victories in life. For example, yesterday I was cleaning my house and my glasses slipped off my face, and when I managed to catch them before they fell to the ground, I actually told myself “Nice catch, Casey” out loud.

So I’m not going to cast aspersions on Japanese Twitter user @gomachannel0 for the unusual content of a slightly braggadocios message she sent out through popular messaging app Line. Unfortunately, instead of sending it to her husband as she intended, she sent it to a salesman at one of her company’s suppliers.

▼ @gomachannel0’s Line message

夫のLINEに返信したつもりが取引先の営業くんに送信してた。なんかもういろいろ終わった。 https://t.co/Tbnck1HMZ4

—
ごまちゃん (@gomachannel0) May 28, 2018

Given the cute dancing penguin surrounded by hearts, you might think @gomachannel0 had crafted a lovey-dovey note telling her husband that she wuvs him just soooo much. But no, the actual content of her message was:

“I took a big dump. THIS MUCH poop came out.”

Yep, for the purposes of this particular missive, those aren’t supposed to be hearts surrounding the penguin, but multiple clumpy turds.

Making things worse is that @gomachannel0 says that her dealings with this salesman are completely professional, with the two routinely communicating with one another in keigo, the extra-polite and polished form of the Japanese language. @gomachannel0 didn’t even notice she’d mistakenly sent her poop announcement to him until two hours later, when the salesman finally and formally responded with:

“I understand the situation.”

@gomachannel0’s tale prompted a mixture of laughs, sympathy, and questions. She explained that while she doesn’t suffer from constipation, she and her husband inform each other of each and every one of their bowel movements (a practice instigated by her husband that she goes along with, suggesting that she’s an extremely accommodating life partner). But while some commenters worried that the startlingly intimate nature of her Line message might get her in trouble with her boss, @gomachannel0 told them no to fret, since she’s actually her company’s president.

So while her next conversation about ordering office supplies is probably going to be a little awkward, @gomachannel0 is in no danger of losing her job. Because in the end, owning your own company means you can be as crazy as you want.

Source: Twitter/@gomachannel0 via Hachima Kiko
Featured image: Twitter/@gomachannel0

Ever struggled to get the last piece of confectionery out of a packet? Twitter may have the key

https://ift.tt/2L7Bwkz Richard Simmonds

Japanese Twitter user’s methods work just as well (or not) with Hi-Chew as with any other kind of recalcitrant sweet or candy.

It can sometimes be all too easy to imagine that we human beings are masters of all that we survey. With a few unfortunate exceptions, we have little to fear from natural predators, and having mastered flame and tool, we are all too susceptible to hubris. Fortunately, or unfortunately, there are little things that remind us that for all our physical prowess and mental ingenuity, we can still be powerless, and one such example is the last sweet or candy in a tube or packet, lurking there unwilling to be prised from its cocoon. “Ha!” it seems to scream, “what good are your opposable thumbs now?” until you resort to ripping the packaging away, the sugary goodness clouded, tainted, by the bitter taste of defeat and humiliation.

▼ Haichu is an example of one such offending article, here in the new limited-edition pineapple flavour.

Luckily, one Japanese Twitter with even more free time than the person who wrote the paragraph above, may have the solution for those wanting to get their hands on that elusive last sweet. The confectionery in question is Haichuu, to give it its Japanese name, also sold and made in the United States as Hi-Chew. The pieces of the Morinaga-produced, chewy, usually fruit-flavoured goodness are each individually wrapped, and sealed up in a decidedly snug tubular packet. While the first few pieces gladly come tumbling out, the final piece is as hard to retrieve as the last cough sweet in a packet that’s been in your pocket for too long. Twitter user @wakegi9315, however, believes they have the way to lure it out, and have produced an illustrated guide to help humanity overcome this latest hurdle.

▼ Click on the embed for an enlarged image of the handy guide.

〜ハイチュウの最後の1個の取り出し方講座〜 https://t.co/n2a5RKJu22

—
わけぎラテ (@wakegi9315) May 26, 2018

@wakegi9315 writes how it’s always a pain in the proverbial to get that last piece of Haichuu out of the packet but that they have kindly prepared a lecture introducing a three-step method that might be able to help to avoid tearing everything to shreds:

‘Method 1: First, gently ask it some questions and wait for it to come out of its own volition. The last piece is always very shy but saying things like, “it’s all right, don’t be scared” will calm the poor thing down and ease its anxiety. The most important thing is to respect its independence.

Method 2: Tempt the Haichuu out with a Haichuu of the opposite sex [presumably with a generous application of lipstick and a dress, a la Warner Bros. cartoons]. As the last of its kind, the Haichuu has a particularly strong survival instinct so as cruel as it is, we have to carefully tempt it out of hiding.

Method 3: If, for some reason, neither of the methods should work, just tear it open [presumably with a stream of profanity].’

▼ Twitter user @usyanbal123 demonstrates the usual way to get to that last piece: ripping and tearing and generally making a mess.

@wakegi9315 https://t.co/kXPrnoNEKO

—
ぴょむ (@usyanbal123) May 27, 2018

You might wonder why someone would go to the trouble of drawing a guide to try and help people with this problem, but clearly it’s hit a nerve with the original tweet having been retweeted more than 96,000 times and liked more than 250,000 times at the time of writing. Clearly, there are plenty of those out there who aren’t prepared to give up on a wondrous range of chewy flavours just yet.

We, on the other hand, like to pick our battles, and with so many tasty snacks out there, we follow the path of least (packet) resistance. Our Japanese language writers went a different way though, creating what is probably the world’s largest Haichuu. We’d like to see the packet that thinks it can hold on to that beast.

Source: Twitter/wakegi9315 via Hachimakiko
Featured image: Twitter/@wakegi9315
Insert image: Morinaga