Vending-machine Camouflage

By Dyske    October 24th, 2007

At first I thought this New York Times article was a joke. I’m not sure if I agree with their characterization of Japan as a country supportive of unusual inventions. Inventiveness or creativity hasn’t been part of the Japanese tradition. Japan is all about the perfection of existing ideas.

I believe that the reason why quirky, useless inventions are welcomed in Japan is because they do not affect, transform, or disturb the status quo. They like the harmlessness of fake inventions. So, they prefer fake inventions over real ones. Real creativity or inventions can have vast and deep transformative power, and such a nail that sticks out is hammered back in, as they say in Japan. I see this phenomenon of quirky inventions as a sign of them being averse to real inventions.

7 Responses

  1. pgoul says:

    October 28th, 2007 at 6:37 am

    that is an unfair statement. japanese advancement in robotics and other areas is definately breaking new grounds and will definitely lead to major changes in society. also the cultural trends strongly contrast with traditional japanese values.

  2. msmith says:

    November 15th, 2007 at 12:42 pm

    The vast majority of “popular” / consumer robotics in Japan are harmless toys and fit exactly what Dyske is saying. This doesn’t diminish Japan’s contributions to the field of robotics: they lead other countries. But their leadership is gradual refinement of what already exists in manufacturing, medicine, and otherwise. I think Dyske hit the nail (that sticks out) right on the head.

  3. Martin F says:

    November 19th, 2007 at 6:56 am

    The stupid article in NYT is not a joke, they indeed seem to take the art project of Aya Tsukioka very seriously. The joke is on the NYT for trying to link too many issues into one article.

    As for Japanese inventions, they are world leaders in patents, not only in the field of robotics.

    The Japan Patent Office website (English)
    http://www.jpo.go.jp/index.htm

  4. blah says:

    December 4th, 2007 at 5:12 pm

    Actually, if you are familiar with the term they referred to in the article, “chindogu,” you will see that the Japanese actually are extremely creative about the way they look at everyday life and common problems and inconveniences we all share. They are definitely not all useless inventions but certainly quirky or involve more effort than a seemingly trivial problem might deserve. I bought these crazy nail clippers that catch your clippings in a little compartment instead of jumping around everywhere. So simple! but somebody had to do it first. They actually teach creativity in their universities now. But I think that the inventors of chindogu demonstrate some flexibility of mind, fearlessness about exhibiting their ideas, and in this case, social concern. If you’ve ever visited Japan, you’d see that on an everyday level, the people are not about the status quo at all. They are always pushing the boundaries in technology, architecture, fashion, food, cinema. Those are just the areas where I can think of specific examples right now. And that saying you used is not Japanese. The Japanese love the absurd and are able to laugh at themselves. If you ever get a chance to watch some Japanese TV, it’s hilarious. They’re known for game shows with the most ridiculous tasks.

  5. Andy says:

    December 12th, 2007 at 11:53 am

    Not inventive? Wow, how wonderfully ignorant. I guess you are ignoring fashion and architecture, medicine, art (classic and modern), craftsmanship, cuisine, photography, animation, and, clearly, electronics.

    Still, if you want to believe the old stereotype of Japan being a country of grey clones, you go right ahead. You sound like someone who rarely takes the time to dig a little deeper and I guess nothing I write will even make you think you should stop and re-assess. Kinda like those guards who were just following orders…

  6. Anne says:

    December 27th, 2007 at 2:24 am

    Hmmm, this is supposed to prevent crime? What crime? I walk around here at 3 am without the slightest fear. Ok, ok, I know some crime does occur in Japan, but compared to my own country, it is NOTHING.

  7. quantum says:

    May 15th, 2008 at 10:13 pm

    very stereotype idea,you can not say fake or imitating unless you know engineer world.

    I tell you the Japanese physicists have and leading quantum pysics research.

    you luck the true intelligence.