Kenji Kawakami

Recently rediscovered and reread this ridiculous, unforgettable book, which I must have first come across in eighth grade. Seems so out-of-date! Although I suppose the mid-90s hair and clothes stood out even then. But over a decade later, I would still wear the vertically-attached glasses — they'd forever solve the dilemma reading in bed — and I remain convinced that a number of these inventions would be (are?) completely marketable. I also love the image of the poor cat in duster slippers.



My enthusiasm began to waver by the second half of the book. For all the talk in the intro of chindogu being "without prejudice," a disheartening number of these inventions rely on tired tropes of housewives cooking and cleaning at home, while their husbands run off to play golf instead of helping around the house, thus disrupting "matrimonial harmony." Gag. I was especially horrified by the "training high heels," which "smooth the transition to adult female footwear" (i.e., spine-deforming high heels). Great.

Oh well. Read it for the undignified cat pictures, I guess? And the absurd suggestions for surviving the subway, which I'm now reminded of every time I take the train during rush hour.… (mais)