Canned oxygen was just a fad

This morning, I went to 7-Eleven to pick up some groceries for breakfast, and spotted a few cans of oxygen in the clearance bin. They had already been marked down from 600 yen to 400 yen, and were on clearance for 200 yen. Apparently this was just another wacky Japanese fad, despite all the buzz around it three years ago.

I bought a 200 yen can and tried it. It didn’t do too much for me, despite being coffee-scented. Any positive effect of the stuff probably comes from the fact that you have to deliberately inhale in order to enjoy the burst of stinky O2. Perhaps all the salarymen need to do is take a deep breath once in a while.

5 thoughts on “Canned oxygen was just a fad”

  1. If canned oxygen could help them do it, so much the better. The canned coffee sold here is nasty as hell and is probably no good for the oyaji who drink it (of course I catch myself having some every now and then)…

    Japan Tobacco is one of the top producers of canned coffee and I wouldn’t doubt they employ the same marketing strategy as they do for cigarettes.

  2. I’ve never seen that canned oxygen for sale anywhere, although I feel like I heard of it at some point. Coffee I just don’t drink in any form, although I’m a big fan of free range oxygen.

  3. I am guessing that stuff like this (as well as the equally goofy “oxygen bar”), the pet rock, and Hummers all have a highly elastic demand in economic recessions.

    Some people inhale cigarettes all day long, and pay for a less concentrated alternative when buying nicorette or a nicotine patch. Others inhale air all day long, and pay for a more concentrated alternative when buying canned oxygen. Bizarre. Here’s an idea: Every ignint bastid (other than Joe) that buys this canned oxygen should be made to give blood.

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