When I went to study in Japan I had to field a lot of strange questions and requests from people. One of the most asked-for souvenirs was the infamous Hello Kitty Vibrator.
When my cousin came to visit we even went looking for one- but we never found it. And now, thanks to the Asian Sex Gazette, I finally know why. Finally, I can sleep at night.
The emergence of the Hello Kitty vibrator as a cult adult item caused friction between Sanrio and Genyo, and Sanrio ordered the company to stop making the units. Genyo refused, since it had paid a lot of money to license Kitty for their products. There seemed nothing Sanrio could do, since they had approved the item for sale (see the official Sanrio sticker on the boxes). The answer came when the Japanese tax authorities raided Genyo on suspicion of tax evasion. It seems that some creative accounting was going on between the president of the company, a Mr. Nakamura, his vice president, and the owner of the factory in China where the units were made. All three were arrested, and Sanrio had the excuse needed to yank Genyo’s license. They seized the molds used to make the vibrators and destroyed them.
Extra: Everyone should check out the picture Curzon posted in the comments section.
Notice how the label on the “dildo” says “massage machine.”
I wonder if there’s some type of law that prohibits the sale of vibrating dildos? Because such dildos are often labeled as such:
Correct — it is illegal to sell it for the purpose of “insertion.” Like when magic mushrooms were available until 2002 in Japan, but you could only purchase them for “display.”
Here’s a translation of the amusing parts-
The ‘Sophia’ massage stick
The blue sploosh graphic says “Waterproof” inside it.
This electric vibrator relieves tension in shoulders, back, legs, arms etc through it’s pleasant vibrations.
Since it’s cordless, you can use it anywhere. The body is waterproof so you can conveniently use it in such places as the bathtub.
About 19.5cm by 3.8cm, 100 grams. Made of PVC. Uses 2 AA batteries, not included.
While looking for a chart showing Japanese to US battery sizes I completely coincidentally came across this English language catalog of Japanese vibrators.
Designs range from the silly
to the slightly scary
Gross. Roy, your quest for quirky Japanese gadgets seems to have reached its, um, climax. I’d accuse you of shamelessly trying to boost hits, but you seem to have neglected the word “porn” anywhere in the article.
I’ve seen Curzon’s vibrator available in American catalogs that specialize in geriatric care products. Needless to say I was thoroughly disgusted.
It might look like a fibre optic christmas tree, but really ladies, its to help ease the tension.