Japanese Inventions

There is no doubt about it – the Japanese love their gadgets! Whether it is from robotic dogs to the world’s smallest miniature digital camera, they have a wide array of devices to choose from. If you want to buy almost weightless DVD players and laptops, they have it. If you want to buy a battery that charges itself in one minute, they have it too. Chances are, if you think you’ve invented something pretty unique, the Japanese would have probably invented it first!

An example of their behavior can be seen in one Japanese company, Takara Co. Ltd. It had been on the verge of bankruptcy before it had a massive comeback selling banana-shaped cell-phone headsets. It then used the money to develop a dog translator. Uniquely Japanese behavior? Most probably.

This obsession, however, does not always extend itself to simple gadgets and devices. This can also be considered indicative of their culture as a whole.

When it comes to designer names and fashion, the Japanese simply have to have it. Gucci and Prada have been known to sell out even at store openings, with the long lines of people to show for it.

What probably fuels many of the Japanese inventions and gadgets can be traced to their having more money than their European and American counterparts and having this insatiable desire to shop. Most are observed to view shopping as an addictive hobby, or even a sport.

Here are some examples of some Japanese gadgets and toys.

The Original Sushi Pillow – For those who love sushi and who also want to liven up their surroundings, then this is the pillow for you. The pillows are hand-made and customers can order designs such as California rolls, ebi nigiri, etc.

Nintendogs – A Nintendog could probably be billed as a dog ‘tamagotchi’. It comes on a touch screen console, so you can interact with your virtual pet. If someone else’s dog comes within range of yours, your dog will bark at theirs. Customers can choose which type of breed they want from the package.

The Choro Mode Pet – If Sony’s Aibo is too expensive for your taste, try this one out. For less than $10 dollars, you can get a little robot that comes with a cord that plugs in your mobile phone. You can control your pet through your phone keys with a variety of commands.

The Joba – Some Japanese complain of having back pain. To ease this, a Japanese company developed the Joba, a rodeo horse-style fitness machine. For around $1,700 dollars, the Joba lets your lower back make front to back and left to right swings and slides.

The MP3 playing toilet seat – Toto, a Japanese company that developed toilet seats that wash and dry your bottom, have come out with a new and improved version of it – a toilet seat that plays mp3s through removable memory cards. It also releases an aroma along with the music.

One outstanding fact about many Japanese gadgets is that while many of them would be considered as simply expensive and impractical, there are those that show themselves to be worth the expense as well.

There can be no doubt that as long as the Japanese will keep spending, their technology will also keep producing and producing. While their outlook might be unique to foreign eyes, for the Japanese, it's all in a creative day's work.