Article and illustrations by Claytonian
I used to be a tough character, but Japan has changed all of that.
Lately I've been noticing an odd change in my little apartment: it's starting to look like the rest of Japan. That is to say, cute characters are on everything. If I'm not careful, my very life could change into a saccharine blob of surrealness.
Take my kitchen for instance. Well, first pretend it's a kitchen instead of a glorified counter, then take it. First off, my sponges at some point became a cat and dog pair...
Lately I've been noticing an odd change in my little apartment: it's starting to look like the rest of Japan. That is to say, cute characters are on everything. If I'm not careful, my very life could change into a saccharine blob of surrealness.
Take my kitchen for instance. Well, first pretend it's a kitchen instead of a glorified counter, then take it. First off, my sponges at some point became a cat and dog pair...
And a blue bear thing controls the flow of my water with a wizened
wink. Sometimes he tells me stories about when blue bears walked the
earth. What was I saying about surrealness earlier?
Below: Next to the bear are the cat and dog with their friend bunny
sponge, who is on soap duty. This is getting ridiculous. Actually, I
partially blame the 100 yen stores for these sorts of things. Who
could resist adopting these critters for that price? It's kind of
creepy how their eyes follow you when you move around though.
Below: NHK's own Oshirikajiri Mushi (butt biting bug-- don't turn your
back on them), accompanied by foam finger above and foam sumo wrestler
below.
It was about this time that I began to feel uneasy about the plainness
of my fridge. I could feel the call of cute, begging me to change it
from this...
To this:
Ahhhh, sweet relief. All is cute, and therefore right, with the world now.
Yes, Japan has definitely changed me.
Below: Next to the bear are the cat and dog with their friend bunny
sponge, who is on soap duty. This is getting ridiculous. Actually, I
partially blame the 100 yen stores for these sorts of things. Who
could resist adopting these critters for that price? It's kind of
creepy how their eyes follow you when you move around though.Below: NHK's own Oshirikajiri Mushi (butt biting bug-- don't turn your
back on them), accompanied by foam finger above and foam sumo wrestler
below.It was about this time that I began to feel uneasy about the plainness
of my fridge. I could feel the call of cute, begging me to change it
from this...To this:Ahhhh, sweet relief. All is cute, and therefore right, with the world now.Yes, Japan has definitely changed me.
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