Back where I was raised we were taught never, ever to stick anything in your ear because doing so could damage your hearing (which, I guess, puts it on par with that other activity we were supposed to refrain from because it would damage our eyesight). Of course, that never stopped most of us from locking the door, drawing the drapes, and stealing a few moments of glorious ear canal diddling with a paper clip, a twisted piece of tissue paper, or whatever other tool was on hand.

Everyone did it, but no one really talked about it. . .

That is why I was so surprised at the breadth and depth of the ear picking culture here in Japan. For some reason, the Japanese absolutely love picking their ears. And they love talking about it, too! Do a web search on the Japanese term mimikaki in Japanese and you will get an amazing 143,000 hits. A search on “earpick” will net you only about 10% of that number, mostly for sites that have nothing at all to do with sticking things in your ear.

The number of Japanese websites devoted entirely to mimikaki and mimikaki art is simply amazing. There are traditional mimikaki made of wood, modern designs with multiple hooks to improve your per stroke crud removal efficiency, and high-tech models with lights and even cameras attached. Many mimikaki have a cute little character at the handle end, so you can choose the one that suits your taste, style, and even mood of the day.

There is even a mimikaki fetish.

One of the first things that comes to mind in Japan when the subject of mimikaki comes up is that of a person with his or her head nestled atop the thighs of their significant other who is busily at work on ear wax patrol. Many men swear by the erotic nature of this experience.

Since there are simply too many Japanese mimikaki variations to cover in a single article, we will be starting a new feature on JAPUNDIT called, “Mimikaki of the Day.” In line with the JAPUNDIT philosophy that no horse is too dead to flog (as demonstrated by our numerous articles on sushi and Hello Kitty goods), starting from tomorrow (February 9) we will be highlighting a unique or interesting earpick design on a daily basis.

There is some pretty amazing stuff coming up, so stay tuned, folks!

JP