Recent Grabs, Literally (What's a Fundoshi?)

I have developed a kind of addiction to crane games. I don't usually drop much money in there, and I almost always go home with something. I pick and choose carefully! I've assembled a nice collection of goodies, and this Monday resulted in the addition of a few new toys to the pile. This is a keychain of some kind. I don't know the purpose and I'm not sure why I went after it. But here it is. Yeah.

Much cooler are these three fundoshi. If you zoom in on the picture, you'll see the white one says Japan Fundoshi Association. So, what is a fundoshi? It's the traditional Japanese underwear, which was worn by everybody in Japan until after World War II. Well, every man. It's basically a thong and (sometimes) a loin cloth. I've never worn one, as less intrusive boxers and briefs are usually worn today.

The fundoshi is still worn for ceremonial purposes, like festivals. This isn't the same as mawashi, which sumo wrestlers wear, though it is very similar. I won all three of these key straps with one grab. You don't have to put it on your keychain, though:

That's right. Your iPhone can be properly covered. This is on an iTouch, so it doesn't fit quite right. And because this style has the loin cloth it looks bad in this position. It isn't exactly practical for full-time use because the thong blocks the charging port at the bottom. The button is still functional, though!

I haven't seen them in claw machines, but there are iPhone panties too. I saw those in Akihabara. Where else would there be panties for iPhones?

The last thing I won in the UFO catcher (the Japanese name for crane games) was a kitty. This poor guy looks so strained. I wonder why:

I have three of these now in white, grey, and black. They hold iPhones or other smart phones up like a stand, using the suction cup on the back. They're easily movable and removable, which means I can turn my phone horizontal or vertical, and the small size means I can keep one in my bag for use as a stand when traveling.

I might bring you more of my crane game goodies in the future. But tomorrow, I am going to get back to my Nagoya travel posts... Until then!