Chindogu Inventions
Chindogu is the Japanese art of inventing silly and useless gadgets to solve everyday problems. Translated literally, ‘Chindogu‘ means valuable or priceless tool. Yes, these inventions are genius, but you would probably look pretty silly using them out in public.
(Actually, there are a few inventions here that we would actually use. No shame!)
Here are 17 hilariously crazy and brilliant inventions only Japan could have thought up:
Butter Grater
Tired of hard butter destroying your toast? This butter grater will fix that.
via Lost at E Minor
Umbrella Tie
For those days where you’re not sure if it’s going to rain or not.
via NovoEd
Eyedrop Funnels
Silent Karaoke
For those times you want to belt out a tune, but don’t want anyone to hear you.
Sound Catcher Pillow
Now you can still hear the TV when you lay down.
Square Watermelon
Square Watermelons are both easier to pack and ship. They are gown in a case to get them into the shape.
Hearing Enhancer
If hearing aids are too discrete for you, try one of these hearing enhancers.
Chopstick Fan
We know you’re busy and don’t want to wait for your noodles to cool on their own. This is for you.
Rain-Proof Umbrella
When a regular umbrella isn’t enough.
Simple Ear Explorer
Explore the far away land of your own ears… We wouldn’t recommend this one.
Bubble Wrap Keychain
Instant stress relief that’s always ready to pop.
DIY 360 Degree Camera
Book-Shaped Pillow
When you spend your days studying in the library, this book-shaped pillow is the perfect night-time companion.
Shoe Umbrellas
Only in Japan. Keep your shoes from getting splashed.
Banana Case
Yep, the banana case that we all know and love was actually invented in Japan.
Battlescratch Shirt
Now, this is genius. When you have an itch you can’t scratch, direct your friend to the right spot on your back.
Very interesting article that makes people wonder and smile : )
I love the battle scratch shirt!!!
[…] PasswordKeeper, brought to your attention, is a chindogu which imitates clicking of buttons on the keyboard. These cliks can transfer a login and a password […]
[…] http://www.ripleys.com/weird-news/chindogu/ […]
[…] Japanese have a bit of a reputation for being fearless in the realm of new inventions. From umbrellas for shoes to square watermelons, all the way to karate, karaoke, and Nintendo, they are amazing at coming up with novel ways to […]
weird I have to do a project on this
I think I’ll try to grow the square watermelon!
I want the silent karaoke
Japanese always invent the interesting and convenient things.
rolling sky game
AWESOME could really use all of em
Love it
i love japan and china number 1
really enjoyed this article thank you for sharing
As I understand it, not all of these are chindogu, some are actually useful. The cubic watermelon, I believe is sold on market stalls in Japan, as a novelty and are expensive. The whole-body umbrella would be useful if you’re caught in a downpour in your smart clothes, on your way to somewhere important. It would keep your whole outfit dry.
The bubble wrap keychain was a fad a few years ago, around the time of Tamagotchi. They even made it to the UK, At least one cheap-stuff shop here had them on sale for a pound or two, cheap but more than I was willing to pay for imitation bubble-wrap that doesn’t protect packaging.
The attraction to the Japanese mind, I think, was that every 200th (or 100th? 500th?) pop would produce a different, special sound. And some even had special unique sounds, or if not unique then very rare. You’d only find that out once it happened, of course. So there was the collectable aspect, though you wouldn’t know if you had the collectable model til your thousandth “pop”, and would only be able to prove it to your friends after a thousand more. Assuming it was every thousandth, not just once!