Mt. Fuji -- Part 2 (New Renditions of the Mountain)

You can buy this t.p. online!

I am pretty even if I look! I use it and am interesting! In a present! I use underflow water of print toilet paper ♪ Mount Fuji!

     What's that gibberish above?  It's the English translation of an online sales pitch that probably sounded pretty good in the original Japanese.  I may not understand the explanation, but I know what this is about because I've seen this Mt. Fuji toilet paper with my own eyes.  

A stack of Fuji-san toilet paper

       

        This toilet paper is one of the many new products centered around Mt. Fuji.  Now that it's been designated Japan's 17th UNESCO World Heritage Site, it's all the rage here in Japan.  It's now one of the country's 13 cultural heritage sites, and there are long with its four natural heritage sites. Why a mountain would be considered a "cultural" site rather than a "natural" one is evident when you learn that it's registered as  “Mt. Fuji: Object of Worship, Wellspring of Art.”  

       But why is that?  At first, they went for the logical "natural heritage site" designation.  However the huge amount of garbage and human waste on Japan's magnificent mountain made that designation difficult to get, so they went for the "cultural" one instead.  And, after a number of years and a concerted clean-up effort they finally got it.  These designations are revocable, however, so they must not give up on environmental projection on and around Fuji-san.

    But back to the toilet paper . . . .  I first saw this stuff on display in -- of all places -- the local post office here in Ogawa-machi.  Instantly I knew I had to have some, but they wouldn't sell it to me under any circumstances. I never did understand what you had to do to get a roll from them, but I see that it's available online at about a dollar a roll.  Maybe I don't want it that badly, even though a portion of the proceeds are donated to the Fuji Club, a group of some 6,000 volunteers who do clean-ups on the mountain they love about 60 times a year. 

Cool designer Tomohiro Ikegaya

Mt. Fuji Tissue Holder

Mirrored paper inside makes Mt. Fuji reflection

      Besides toilet paper, many other clever Fuji-themed products have popped up recently.  Among the most interesting are the ones designed by a 32-year-old, Tomohiro Ikegaya, who grew up in the shadow of Fuji-san. 

Mt. Fuji pocket square

       Talk about good design!   He's created a pocket square that, when folded properly shows that familiar scene. There's an envelope with a mirrored piece inside so when the flap is open, you get that same reflection of Mt. Fuji that you see in the lake below -- you know, the one in all the famous tourist attraction photos. Among his super-creative Mt. Fuji products are a mountain-shaped blue guitar pick.  Over time and with hard use, the paint on the end of the pick chips off, revealing a white top, just like Fuji-san. 

Now it's just a cloth

   Then there's this clever washcloth or towel that looks quite simple ordinarily.  But when it's draped over something, voila--it becomes a fabric Mt. Fuji.   Amaze all your friends and family members after your bath!

Presto-change-o, it's Fuji-san!

Fold it right and Fuji-san appears

      I could go on with this stuff forever, but you get the idea.  Suffice it to say that:
     1)  Mt. Fuji is now big business here in Japan.
     2)  Ikegaya-san is a very smart fellow to follow  his heart, stick to something he loves and make money at it. 

Don't we all wish we were doing that?  I do envy those who are!