The Big Bento Box of Unuseless Japanese Inventions

by Kenji Kawakami, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (Editor), Dan Papia (Translator)

Overview

From the land of the rising sun, strangely practical and utterly eccentric inventions for a life of ease—and hilarity.

In Japan, Kenji Kawakami is famous for his tireless promotion of Chindogu: the art of the unuseless idea. Kawakami has developed an entire philosophy around these bizarre and logic-defying gadgets and gizmos, which must work but are actually entirely impractical. Created in the spirit of anarchy, unuseless inventions are not allowed to be patented or sold.

Fans of the unuseless will love this completely absorbing collection of 200 Chindogu, including:

• the Drymobile (your laundry dries as you drive)
• the Solar-Powered Torch (never runs low on batteries)
• Duster Slippers for Cats (now the most boring job around the house becomes hours of fun—for your cat!)
• Walk 'n' Wash Ankle-Attachable Laundry Tanks (a perfect solution for the problems of inadequate exercise and hygiene)
• and many, many more.

These hilarious inventions have taken Japan by storm. Every one of the 200 items in The Big Bento Box of Unuseless Japanese Inventions has actually been manufactured to the highest standards, fully tested by pioneering members of the Japanese public, and documented in their unuselessness with photographs.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780393326765
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	04/17/2005
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Kenji Kawakami is the inventor of the concept of Chindogu and the founder of the 10,000-member International Chindogu Society.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is a celebrity chef, television personality, journalist, food writer, and "real food" campaigner. He promotes a back-to-basics philosophy with regards to cooking.

Dan Papia is a translator. He also heads the chapter of the International Chindogu Society based in Los Angeles.

Editorial Reviews

In Japan, Kenji Kawakami is famous for his tireless promotion of Chindogu, the art of the unuseless idea. Meant to solve problems of modern life, these bizarre and logic-defying gadgets and gizmos are actually entirely impractical. Okay, these inventions are probably a send-up of the truly useless and unnecessary new consumables in modern society -- but the sending-up is hilarious. So, what about an SACD player for the shower?

bn.com

While there is a working prototype of each device featured in the book, one of Mr. Kawakami's Ten Tenets of Chindogu stipulates that none of them may be patented or sold. Clearly Mr. Kawakami understands that there is no gadget so unuseless that somebody out there would not buy it if offered, and that the world is already cluttered with enough chindogu as it is.
— The New York Times

John Strausbaugh