ARE YOU ELECTRICITY?? The Japanese T-shirt craze sweeping Britain Over the last few years, it has become increasingly fashionable in Britain to wear T-shirts with Japanese writing .c even if those wearing them are not quite sure what they mean. Ichikoo, a London-based film production and design company, has decided to gently poke fun at Britons who unknowingly wear garments with Japanese mistranslations upon them, by creating its own range of t-shirts with deliberate errors. Tim Earl, producer at Ichikoo, explains. "In Japan you often see products advertised with English slogans next to them. Many of these slogans are meaningless, or mis-spelt, sometimes ridiculous, and at times simply hilarious. We thought it would be funny to turn the joke on us, so we've produced some quirky t-shirts with deliberately badly translated Japanese on them. So for example, instead of your t-shirt saying something vaguely cool like 'Freedom of choice', a simple 'error' and instead it ends up saying 'Freedom of Laundry'. This is done by misspelling the Japanese word 'sentaku' which can mean either 'laundry' or 'choice' depending on the characters used." Similarly, another reads "Are you electric?" (denki desu ka?), which should be "Are you well?" (genki desu ka?). Another t-shirt proudly declares, "I'm a man who loves socks," which should actually be "I'm a man who loves sex." James Vyner, Ichikoo's creative director, adds. "We did it because the English like a bit of self-mockery. All the t-shirts are tagged so that the wearer gets the joke. This is in no way mocking the Japanese." The T-shirts elicited a few giggles from bemused Japanese when they were handed out recently in London to promote the opening of a new art exhibition. They have also created something of a stir in the British media, featuring in lifestyle magazines, morning chat shows, and even the Times of London. UK chat show host (and big fan of all things Japanese) Jonathan Ross is very proud of his t-shirt and has been talking about it on his radio show. And what exactly does his t-shirt say? 'Ignorant foreigner using Japanese to try to appear sophisticated'. More information can be found on Ichikoo's website at www.ichikoo.com Visit the eBay store at http://stores.ebay.co.uk/ichikootshirts |
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