hair elastics with an, ahem, unfortunate brand name...

I saw these on a shelf in a strange conbini/supermarket/¥100 store in Odaiba. I am sure they were meant to be called “Hemp Ring” (although I won’t think too hard about the fact that the product contains no hemp…).

I wonder if they are selling well…

As a Shandyean digression (please read the book twice before watching the movie), it is interesting to note that there is a VERY long tradition/culture of hemp cultivation and usage in Japan. It was not until 1948 and the arrival of the Americans that hemp was restricted as a narcotic in Japan. Interestingly enough, the very traditional spice/seasoning here that you can find in almost every noodle shop, Shichimi tōgarashi (七味唐辛子) has hemp seeds as one of the seven flavours. There are other traditional uses of hemp in Japan (most notably in Shinto shrines), but it is quite late here in Tokyo so I’ll have to leave it for another day….

Chinese character (Japanese kanji) for hemp