That’s right folks, you read correctly. Today’s mimikaki is called The Technician.

The manufacturer boasts (in Japanese) that the design of The Technician makes it the perfect choice for 21st century earpicking. The soft spiral head at the tip provides a full 360 degrees of picking, providing you with more mimikaki power then ever before!

At the same time, the spiral tip dampens the pressure applied to the handle, delivering a “soft touch” inside the ear canal

The shaft of the The Technician can be detached and stored in the handle for easy transport. The other end of the handle houses a nylon brush for cleaning debris from the spiral tip. All of this comes in a hard case that makes The Technician the perfect gift item.

The Japanese blurb for today’s mimikaki starts out with something like, “Cleaning the ears of young children sure is tough, isn’t it?”

Well, worry not pickophiles of the world, for technology is here to save the day.

Today’s mimikaki features a built-in high-intensity LED white light that emits a powerful beam to illuminate the ear canal of the pickee and make it easier for the picker to see inside.

Available in either pink or blue for 1,344 yen, this mimikaki requires three LR44 batteries to power the light.

JP

People are always improving and tweaking the things they use in everyday life, and mimikaki are no exception.

Today’s wire mimikaki are modern designs that have either one, two, or three stainless steel gold-plated wire loops at the end to lasso bits of wax and dead skin built up in the ear canal.

The manufacture claims that this design is ideal for ear cleaning because its thin profile slips easily into the ear canal and pulls out earwax, without the risk of pushing deeper into the ear canal.

Prices for these mimikaki run anywhere from 3,000 yen for the basic model with metal handle, up to 6,000 yen for the deluxe model with mother of pearl handle.

For more information (in Japanese), go here.

JP

Today we have the mimikaki for the those who demand only the best when it comes to sticking things into their ears — an 18K gold maneki neko earpick.

Maneki neko figurines often can be seen in shops in Japan, because the cat’s raised paw is believed to beckon customers, contributing to wealth and prosperity.

But, of course, it takes money to make money.

If you want to pick your ears in style while ensuring that the world will beat a path to your door, you need to shell out a cool 18,800 yen for your 18K gold maneki neko mimikaki.

If you’re still interested, click on over to here and place your order (in Japanese).

JP

Today’s mimikaki is a jitte, which is a martial art weapon that used to be carried by the police long ago in Japan, mostly for the purpose of warding off sword attacks.

JP

As promised, today we start our new Mimikaki of the Day series, which will be highlighting unique Japanese earpick designs.

And what is more Japanese than a katana (Japanese sword)?

This mimikaki is shaped like a miniature katana, ready to be unsheathed whenever you come under attack by an itchy year canal or errant ball of wax.

JP

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