101 Unuseless Japanese Inventions: The Art of Chindogu

by Kenji Kawakami

A collection of the author's most imaginative Chindohgu, otherwise known as "unuseless ideas," includes the bath body suit and the walk 'n' wash ankle-attachable laundry tank

Genres: Humor, Nonfiction, Japan, Design, Art, Science, Reference

160 pages, Paperback

First published October 23, 1995

About the author

Kenji Kawakami is the inventor of the Japanese craze Chindōgu.

Reviews

[Cici · Rating 4 out of 5]

Umbrella shoe savers, automatic chew counter, portable stoplight, cat tongue soother, fish face cover. So many great inventions I didn’t know which one I want most!!

[Mara · Rating 4 out of 5]

i actually read this a long time ago and forgot and just read it again. it's funny

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this on a trip to Seattle with Debbie and Steve. We had quite the laugh. Another one I keep in the school library to trick students into opening books for pleasure.

[Casey Melnick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chindogu

Furtive issues are solved by the ones who dare to look a little bit closer at the relationship between borderline utility and imaginative desire.

Weird? Maybe.

Useless? Never.

Unabashed? Always.

[Max · Rating 5 out of 5]

On first glance one might think this book is a just silly anthology created mostly for the purpose of selling it and profiting from it. But it turns out the authors have a serious investment in this thing. They call it "Chindogu," and there is an organization, the Chindogu Society, dedicated to it, which you can join for free if you can think of something to contribute. One notable tenet of the Society is that you cannot profit from it, which I thought was cool.

The book contains some funny inventions and would be a good read for anyone interested in creativity and ingenuity.

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't laughed so hard at a book in a long, long time.

[Stacia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frivolous, silly, & entertaining enough. Presents the Japanese art of chindogu in which items are designed to be almost, but not quite, useful in real life, resulting in an often-amusing look at different ways to solve some of the nagging little irritations & problems of daily life. Kind-of the equivalent of reading a cereal box when you have nothing else to do, but more interesting & funnier.

This also quite nicely complemented the Bob Edwards radio program today, when Edwards talked with science writer Marc Abrahams & discussed the Ig Nobel prizes (which Abrahams started).

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s fine line between ingenuity and absurdity, as evidenced by this hilarious book. Chindogu are inventions that aim to solve the irritating problems of everyday life, but ultimately fail in their execution. Still, one must admire the effort put into these designs, some of which are so close to being ready for mass consumption. The bizarre pictures and droll captions make for a mood-lifting read. You may even find yourself inspired to create your own chindogu!

[Terry Montlick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chindogu is about inventions that appear to be useful, but create more problems than they solve. You will find many of these for sale on Amazon.

[Alexa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read this when I was a kid and it is still hilarious.

[Barrette Plett · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was amusing and mildly interesting. I found the pictures a little unpleasantly unvarnished. I suppose that's in the spirit and style of the book, but I don't enjoy them.

[Melinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recently rediscovered and reread this ridiculous, unforgettable book, which I must have first come across in eighth grade. Seems so out-of-date! Although I suppose the mid-90s hair and clothes stood out even then. But over a decade later, I would still wear the vertically-attached glasses — they'd forever solve the dilemma reading in bed — and I remain convinced that a number of these inventions would be (are?) completely marketable. I also love the image of the poor cat in duster slippers.



My enthusiasm began to waver by the second half of the book. For all the talk in the intro of chindogu being "without prejudice," a disheartening number of these inventions rely on tired tropes of housewives cooking and cleaning at home, while their husbands run off to play golf instead of helping around the house, thus disrupting "matrimonial harmony." Gag. I was especially horrified by the "training high heels," which "smooth the transition to adult female footwear" (i.e., spine-deforming high heels). Great.

Oh well. Read it for the undignified cat pictures, I guess? And the absurd suggestions for surviving the subway, which I'm now reminded of every time I take the train during rush hour.

[Spazfungus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hahahaha! I can't decide what is my favorite UNuseless invention. Dust slippers for cats "for feline assistance with tedious housework", Fish Face Cover "helps get the fish cut with minimum emotional trama" or The Sweethearts Training Arm "a PDA confidence developer" (It's a mannequins arm that your sweetheart can hold on to so you don't have to worry if your hands are sweaty) The pictures are hilarious. All inventions are so zany...yet I can see why they were invented and where they could be useful. I'm temped to make a few (umbrella tripod!)

[Lafcadio · Rating 2 out of 5]

All I have to say is... why?

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

My favorite invention is when the toilet paper is on the head and you pull it down.

[Karen Jean Martinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite? Umbrellas for your shoes.

[Roger · Rating 5 out of 5]

a picture book with captions and descriptions, this book would be funny [or inspirational to some] even without reading any of the copy.

[Valerie]

I have to say that I've not so much read as skimmed these books--which is what they were designed for, after all.

I really care more about the concept than the individual examples, anyway.

[FasterKillFastPussycat · Rating 4 out of 5]

soooooooooooo funny....though alot of the inventions look stupid they actually would prove to be quite helpful....

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

these books are freaking hilarious!

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

So very very funny -- and some are close enough to "unuseless" that you wish they were real.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is an incredible coffee table book. very funny and inspirational!

[Abraham Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

weird but good book of Japanese unuseless inventions