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A lot of people in Japan will tell you that though spring ends in May, summer doesn’t really start until July. June, they’ll insist, is tsuyu, which translates to “the rainy season.”
Honestly, though, you might as well call June “the sweaty season,” since the high heat and maximum humidity combine for pinnacle of perspiration-producing conditions. Even now, the weather is gradually moving in that direction, which is causing figurative headaches and literal nose-lamentations for Cardland, a collectible trading card game specialty shop in Tokyo.
Cardland is located in the Akihabara neighborhood, Tokyo’s mecca for anime and video game enthusiasts, two demographics that aren’t traditionally renowned for their hygiene. In late May the shop sent out the above tweet, in which it says:
“A request from our shop.
The weather has become much hotter with the recent sudden jump in temperatures. With that, there’s been a small, but noticeable, increase in the number of customers coming to our shop in an unhygienic state.
We ask that customers thoroughly shower before coming to the shop and arrive in a clean state, especially when we are holding in-shop tournaments and many people will be sharing the same enclosed space for an extended period of time.”
Cardland also went on to inform prospective tournament participants that if their level of hygiene is judged to be a probable cause of discomfort for other players, they will not be allowed to participate.
However, bathing is only one aspect of proper hygienic grooming. Wearing freshly washed clothing is also important, and luckily about a week after Cardland’s request went viral, it received a care package from Graphico, the Japanese distributor of…
…OxiClean!
Inside the box were several stacks of sample packets of the world-famous laundry detergent. “We deeply appreciate this,” tweeted Cardland, who says they plan to give the samples to customers and tournament participants.
Online commenters have reacted with:
“This is the first step towards true peace in our world.”
“That’s some pretty smart marketing by OxiClean.”
“I’m envisioning OxiClean making special packaging designs with anime character on it.”
“They’d sell so much!”
“OxiClean really is very effective against accumulated proteins like sweat and body oil.”
Many, many others felt that their feeling could best be summed up with the word kusa, which means both “something stinks” and “this is funny.”
There is, unfortunately, no guarantee that Cardland customers who receive the OxiClean samples will use them. Still, anything that makes laundry less of a hassle makes it more likely to get done, and if nothing else the shop handing out detergent packs should be a pretty clear indicator of the consideration Cardland expects visitors to show before stepping through the door.
Related: Cardland
Source: Twitter/@cardland_akiba via Otakomu
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© SoraNews24
11 Comments
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TaiwanIsNotChina
So much for the Japanese being cleaner than everybody else.
virusrex
“That’s some pretty smart marketing by OxiClean.”
Someone on in charge of promoting products in Graphico saw a chance and took it,
Also, too bad the "kusa" play of words is not explained so easily.
BeerDeliveryGuy
Have you ever seen US basement-troll Otaku?
Desert Tortoise
If you have an old computer or other home electronics on which the plastic is yellowed from age and exposure to sunlight, put a little Oxiclean into some strong hydrogen peroxide, I like to use the 20% gel from beauty supply stores, apply that to the plastic (wear gloves or you'll get chemical burns !) and set the item in bright sunlight for a while. It completely reverses age yellowing. This is a technique developed by nerdy souls who restore old computers and is called "Retro Brite". I have used it restoring old vacuum cleaners that were age yellowed. Who knew Oxiclean was so useful ?
mountainpear
@Desert Tortoise Great tip but hydrogen peroxide you buy here is so weak!
Mocheake
Downy in the wash and deodorant under your arm. Comb your hair and brush your teeth regularly. Maybe a splash of lightly-fragranced cologne or a Gatsby wash when freshening up later. Lose the backpack and carry a case. Start wearing contact lenses. A woman might look at you pleasantly after that and may let you engage in conversation. Don't say anything stupid nor discuss your hobby. Lie if necessary. You might discover something much better than manga and anime. Romance could blossom. You tell your geek friends and they follow suit then they realize what they've been missing. Word spreads. It becomes a national phenomenon. The birthrate increases. Taxes stop going up. TV channels change their programming to show cool manly stuff instead of anime, Disney and cooking shows. Guys stop trying to look at and talk to my friends and I when we are drinking in bars. Everyone wins!
CrashTestDummy
Polyester socks can get really stinky if feet are sweating. In general, polyester clothing can be more smelly if it cannot dry quickly. Cotton clothing especially socks and undergarments are better for odor, but don't breath and dry as well.
mountainpear
@Mocheake Would be nice if it was that simple! As long as you don't have a well-paying job no Japanese girl will give a Japanese guy the time of day no matter how good he smells. If you are a foreigner however the specs required are set much lower!
Mocheake
You may be right there. I have the experience of thinking that women in my neighborhood back when I was growing up were really stuck up. When I traveled outside the U.S., I really didn't see that. When I got to Japan, I thought the women were cool but now I think they're more into likes on Instagram taking selfies all day, trying to get you to look at them. They rarely give anything back and are seriously stuck up and even most of the young guys I talk with say the same so I've moved on and the ones from Southeast Asia (Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, etc) are way cooler, look just as good and don't come with phony niceties.
Desert Tortoise
I can't say about women from Singapore but the ones from Thailand and Philippines can be bossy and demanding. I have known a few Navy guys who married Philippinas who ended up getting beaten up by their wives.
wallace
Natural fibers are generally better.