With its discount electrical goods stores, cosplay, and maid coffee shops, Akihabara is quickly gaining a reputation as a place that caters to a wide variety of needs, both nerdy and otherwise.
One of the latest new fads to spring out of Akihabara is mimikaki.
For 2,500 yen you can experience the pleasure of laying your head on the tender thighs of a yukata-clad young woman as she picks the wax out of your ears.
One of the premier establishments offering such services is Yamamoto Mimi Kaki-ten (Japanese page), which has been such a success that it has surprised even the folks who run the place.
For some reason, Japanese men find having the inner ears probed by sexy young things a turn on. And Yamamoto Mimi Kaki-ten plays this fetish to the hilt, even providing a page at its website where you can have a look at photos of the comely young lasses who work there.
Japundit’s renowned mimikaki (earpick) series gained worldwide attention once again when it was reported on Boing Boing recently.
Now we find out that a new type of esthetic parlor in Tokyo is cashing in on Japan’s love for stimulating aural hygiene.
These establishments are devoted exclusively to cleaning people’s ears or providing a combination of earwax removal and massage.
The idea is to remind customers of pleasant feelings they had during childhood when resting their heads on their mother’s lap to have their ears cleaned.
One such parlor uses a mimikaki fitted with a camera to allow the pickee to view the condition of their ear canal on a TV screen.
The basic cost for a five-minute ear cleaning is 500 yen. This goes up to 1,000 yen for a 10-minute session that includes a massage, and 2,000 yen for 20 minutes.
One parlor in Tokyo’s trendy Aoyama district offers a 70-minute pick-and-massage session for 8,400 yen.
The majority of customers at such establishments are men, and the owner of one shop says that a large number of women have told her they would like to learn how to remove earwax as a way to please their men. The shop is considering establishing a school to teach women the art of ear cleaning and massage, “as part of their bridal training.”
Heiwa Medic Co., Ltd. is selling a new type of cotton swab, designed and engineered specifically for ear picking (mimi kaki).
Heiwa Medic claims that the black color of the cotton makes the gunk that comes out of the ear more visible than the traditional white. In addition, the cotton tips are spiral formed to make it easier to scrape wax and other debris out of your ears.
The cotton of the black swabs is colored with a nontoxic dye that is totally safe, according to the manufacturer.
Some time ago we featured an ear vacuum cleaner that we thought was one of a kind. Today we discovered another model that features a streamline modern design.
The Ear Clean ear vacuum cleaner is said to totally clear the inside of the ear of debris, without fear of injury. But then again that is what all of the manufacturers of these devices say, isn’t it. . .
Ear Clean comes complete with a set of six replaceable nozzles, which means it can be used by the entire family. It also includes a supply of lotion to sooth the ear canal after cleaning and four AA-size batteries (only two are required at a time for power).
Price: 4,980 yen
Attention mimikaki fans!
Starting from this week, Mimikaki of the Day will move to the weekend and become Mimikaki of the Week. We hope you will continue to join us and find out about the latest developments in mimikaki technology and designs.
In the meantime, keep on kaki-ing!
Yesterday just about did it for mimikaki with strange or unique features and functions.
Starting from tomorrow, we will enter a new phase by introducing mimikaki art. Many mimikaki sticks (without bells and whistles) are decorated with some bauble or figurine at the non-picking end. There are literally thousands and thousands of variations available, and you will be able to see some of them here.
In the meantime, here is a Adobe Illustrator illustration of a cat and mimikaki by an unknown artist, who I think is named sweetie chieko.
You can find more cat art by the same artist here.
Today’s mimikaki represents the ultimate combination of modern technology and the timeless art of ear picking.
Introducing the Scope Eye eyeglasses type fiberscope!
The multi-functional Scope Eye comes with a set of three different nozzles that give you the ability to probe just about any orifice of your body.
- An orifice nozzle slips easily into your ear canal to check for swelling, redness, or any other abnormality.
- A mimikaki nozzle can be used to hunt down and remove debris from the ear.
- A dental nozzle is fitted with a mirror for effortless checking of your gums and teeth.
All of the images picked up by the nozzle are transmitted via optical fiber to a scope that is mounted on wearable frame that resembles a pair of eyeglasses. This means you can pick away with one hand, and leave the other free to do whatever you like.
And that’s not all.
An optional video adapter lets you connect the Scope Eye to your video camera and view your aural adventures on a big screen, or even record them for posterity.
The Scope Eye is available in a variety of kit configurations, at prices ranging from 16,380 yen for a one-nozzle kit to 21,105 yen for the deluxe set that comes complete with six nozzles. Optional accessories include replacement nozzles, batteries, eyeglass frame, and video camera adapter.
Have you ever wondered about what the inside of your head looks like?
Well, now you can find out with Ear Scope G2!
Ear Scope G2 has everything the adventurous human orifice explorer could hope for. A 1.5mm diameter rod lens slips easily into the ear and sends back images through a 57cm long optical fiber cable to a scope that magnifies the image four times for easy viewing.
Ear Scope G2 comes in a choice pastel colors (blue, green, or violet) for only 10,500 yen. A set of separate mimikaki (2 large, 2 small, 1 light guide) is available as an option.
Mimi Look DX LP-2008 (mimi means “ear”), the mimikaki that combines an earpick with a light and magnifying lens.
Acording to the manufacturer, the tip illumination and 2X magnification lens of Mimi Look helps to make the ear of the pickee easier to view.
Priced at 1,890 yen, Mimi Look comes with three tips for different ear cleaning needs.
Over the next few days, we will be looking at a few more high-tech mimikaki models like the one shown here.
Don’t miss it!
Welcome, mimikaki fans!
Today’s mimikaki is one for dedicated ear picking afficionados who are too lazy to exert the effort required to track down and scrape waxy detritus from inside their heads — An ear vacuum cleaner!!
Shaped to fit the hand comfortably, the Ear Vacuum Cleaner 3 is suitable for use by pickers of all ages, from small children to senior citizens.
The silicon rubber nozzle of the Ear Vacuum Cleaner 3 is soft enough to slip comfortably into the year without fear of injury.
Though it is compact and runs on two alkaline AA-size batteries, the Ear Vacuum Cleaner 3 delivers amazingly strong suction that keeps your ear canals clear of wax and other debris, which (according to the manufacturer) helps to avoid middle ear infection.
Comes with a cleaning brush and two nozzles.
For some reason, today’s mimikaki gets the distinction of being called Ears Cleaner.
It a relatively simple tool distinguished by a stack of four circular blades that form what the manufacturer calls a “360-degree head that leaves nothing behind.”
The manufacturer also cautions that though the head of this mimikaki resembles the threads of a screw, the user should never attempt to screw it into the ear canal because doing so would be quite painful. . . (I hate when I do that!)
Only 630 yen will get you a set that includes two mimikaki (of different sizes), bonten (a wood stick with a round downy feather on the end, also for sticking into the ear) , head cleaning brush, and special case.
JP
