Why, how, and even whether negative ions are beneficial to health may be the subject of highly charged scientific debate, but that's done nothing to dampen a craze for products boasting this invisible asset that's gripping the Japanese market.
As the old saying goes, "A bit of what you fancy does you good," and though skeptics might regard it as bizarre, there's no doubt millions of buyers now fancy buying into this latest healthy-living boom. And makers of all manner of items are eagerly jumping on the bandwagon.
Just step into any home-appliance shop or the health-care section of a department store, and you'll immediately see a whole range of mainasu-ion (minus-ion) goods -- from hair dryers to air conditioners, generators, fridges and dehumidifiers. And they are selling like hot cakes, according to a shop clerk of Ishimaru Denki, a major appliance store in Tokyo's "Electric Town" of Akihabara. The shop now even has a special "minus-ion items section" where all these goods, as well as air purifiers, electric fans, vacuum cleaners, hair brushes and more are displayed along with promotional material that's big on the word "health."