It’s quite large, with a touch-screen menu and another monitor displaying product information. Actually, it seems that Proactiv has produced the same kind of vendor overseas already but it was for the most part sadly neglected when we were passing through Yokohama. A few people stopped to stare, though no one was using it. Perhaps the folks of Kanagawa don’t have acne?!

One reason might be that there was no e-money or mobile integration. In fact, the only payment method we could see was a credit card — hardly the best way to appeal to Japanese consumers, who of course generally prefer to make purchases by cash or RFID card.

But has anyone seen any men? Personally, I’ve yet to catch one myself though I’m intrigued by a new fashion trend, the male parasol-user (日傘男子, higasa danshi).

This news might not surprise everyone, especially when you consider how metrosexual Japanese men sometimes are, and what a record-breaking scorcher of a summer it’s been. Perhaps the most infamous famous example are the soushokudanshi (草食男子; literally, herbivore boy), who value shopping and preening over dates and sex. Certainly these fellas would want to protect themselves against UV rays.

[Pics via Unkar.org]

Department stores actually stock parasols especially for male consumers now, with simple designs ideal to match with jeans, t-shirts or suits. J-Cast reports that Isetan have broadened their range of male parasols from five types last year to twelve in 2010.

One specialist store in Osaka established in the Meiji period has sold over a thousand male parasols so far this year and stock some rather fancy designs! The majority of customers have been businessmen in their twenties, thirties and forties, says Sankei. Hankyu have also been selling many more parasols than in previous years — more and more men are concerned about getting heat stroke while out and about.

There also seems to be some history of this, with samurai and others certainly using higasa, including even in snowy regions to keep dry.

Now the founder of Livedoor seems to be throwing his energies into a literary career! He’s already turned out some books of essays before and next up is fiction. His first novel is called, appropriately, Haikin (拝金, money-worship) and was published in June.

[Pic via Business Media]

Horie is seen as a hero for many young would-be entrepreneurs and his arrest for fraud in 2006 was a blow to his admirers. He famously battled the Japanese Old Guard with a hostile takeover bid of Fuji TV but is currently entangled in a long appeal of his conviction.

However, the fact that Haikin has slowly become a minor hit — selling 50,000 copies in its two months since release, and 10,000 digital copies — demonstrates that people are still keen to hear what Horiemon has to say.

[Pic via Sanukibito.com]

Around 70 per cent of these “farms” are 50 square meters, with the rental cost as little as 5,000 yen (about $58) for a year’s use. Many of these aspiring farmers are said to be middle-aged salarymen and retirees keen to get their fingers green.

Eco consumer innovations have been some of the biggest media topics for the last few years in Japan, as we have noted many times before. With the Baby Boom Generation set to begin retiring en masse, they are looking for ways to spend their days. No doubt, scandals with food safety (particularly processed gyoza dumplings made in China!) have also inspired a desire for safer, more natural food.

Though the much-publicized Ginza rice paddy (below) seems to be making way for planned construction work on the land (i.e. it’s going to be replaced by a building), there are still plenty of vibrant examples of eco urbanism.

The Atre mall inside JR Ebisu station in central Tokyo opened its rooftop soradofarm in September 2009, allowing people to literally do some gardening during their shopping trip.

Many of the “city farms” are in fact intended to be only cultivated at weekends or after work. People are seeking a rural, eco experience but in a way that does not interfere too much with the benefits of their suburban or urban lifestyles.

Cynics will say that they do little to improve Japan’s lamentable levels of self-sustainability, but they are certainly becoming a kind of “third space”, like karaoke booths and internet cafes: locations that act as unique living/relaxation/work areas that are not usually possible elsewhere.

It’s no secret that we’ve taken, ahem, pride in reporting on this blog about the Bijin-Tokei, apologizing beauties website and provincial lasses being “saved” by cosmetics.

Visitors to regions around Japan perhaps have picked up the Bishoujo Zukan free paper, which is comprised entirely of (modest) images of local beauties. Or Tokyoites might well have browsed Kanban Musume (Shop Sign Girl), a site that introduces stores and eateries recommended by the women working there.

The latest manifestation we’ve come across of this is the Bijo Goyomi, or “hot girl calendar”.

Every day (except weekends) showcases a new beauty from somewhere around Japan — a real, ordinary girl, that is, not some airbrushed model! There are some examples above.

That basically is the gist of it. Though there are some widgets and a ranking (you can vote for your favorite), it seems to just come down to one thing — we like to look at pretty girls. And though the selling power of Shiseido et al’s fashion models is undeniably still very strong, Japanese consumers/web users are definitely seeking something more down-to-earth and realistic in these recession days, even if just for escapism.

Bijo Goyomi started in late 2008 but, according to J-Cast, its page views have steadily increased in recent months and currently stand at a million a month.

It also has a Twitter aggregate site, ShunkanBijo.com (Instant Beauty).