NIPPON-ICHIGO

Need some cheering up today? A moment of calm and serenity amid the rush of life?

Enjoy your happy.

The main reason I am posting about the now-infamous “Japanese Snuggie” is because, of course, the Internet has gone to town with its promotional imagery, and I can’t help but spread the funny.

First, the original:

A+ for comfort

Apparently one of the ideas behind this innovative new sleeping bag with legs is that you’ll be able to get up and run away from bears should you be caught by one while camping. There are a few things that come to mind when you hear that:

• If you’re caught by a bear, you probably can’t outrun it.
• In regular sleeping bags, you can at least pretend to be a giant rock. Bears can’t see all that well in the dark, can they? Now you’re just a giant, armless mass with easy-to-chew-off legs.
• You can’t easily stand without the use of your arms.

You’ve got to admire the thought, however. Maybe.

Now, some of my favorite Photoshop edits. Note that all of these originated as a cumulative effort of the SomethingAwful Forum Goons in contribution to yet another Photoshop Phriday, so you should probably head on over there to appreciate their work where it originated. After all these years, I do so love me some Photoshop Phriday. A friend showed me these directly — please comment to stake claim if you so desire.

Federal Reserve Note

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Remember that wacky Wii game full of fun and muscles that popped up earlier this year? Well, my dreams have come true: it’s coming to the US’s WiiWare next year.

Here, have some English trailer:

I actually like this more than the original trailer: it retains the wacky spirit while being more self-explanatory.

I love fun, nonsensical stuff like this, so you can bet I’m buying the hell out of it.

Go to its official site

Chances are if you’re a freak like me you’ve already seen all these videos, but I’ve been wanting to post them anyway.

Old culture meets new culture – Shamisen rock from the Yoshida Bros.!

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Brent Mendenhall, a premier George W. Bush impersonator, has been in some Japanese commercials recently. This is my favorite of them. It’s just so silly.

To quote Japan Probe,

Each scene of the Bush lookalike acting goofy/stupid is followed by a message letting you know that Herbal Clear is supposed to help wash away bad things.

There are no words to describe this.

However, for a Wiiware game, I love the concept. It’s fun and silly. It’s like Hole in the Wall, which would probably be even more interesting as a video game franchise.

Yes, it’s true; the only people to have seen Kusanagi’s nude (and drunkenly disgraceful) glory the other night were policemen and people legitimately concerned for their own well-being.

Hinokicho Park. 3 AM. Kusanagi, drunk, just feels like being naked in a park. Is that so wrong? Arrested while chilling on the grass, I see a surreal humor in this. He’s the least-outspoken member of SMAP and certainly looks the part.

Party boy.

In everything, I can’t help but feel a little sorry for the guy; then again, you realize what a discomfort it is to everyone else when someone is drunk, even more when someone is drunk and wants to take off all his clothes right next to you.

And to say this guy was drunk is a vast understatement: dude was pissed out of his mind. Ten rounds of sake will do that to a fella.

This presents a problem: his face is everywhere. Companies commercially associated with him are considering blacklisting him (or already have). For a little drunken mid-night nudity, it seems harsh, yet may very well be justified, as I can’t imagine him appearing anywhere anymore without someone bringing up his “scene”. Now all his planned appearances and TV commercials have been canceled. You’d think he killed a guy.

Unfortunately, I can’t say I’m affected as a fan (flash back to when I discovered Daishi Kajinaga was arrested for possession of cocaine and measure my reaction against this – basically, I was heartbroken); I’m not much for pop, and the only song of SMAP’s I’ve ever heard was one in Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2, in which I liked the female cover more than the actual song.