C locks make marvelous torture de vices. For sheer infliction of pain it's hard to top a creation that's dedicated to wrenching you out of your hard-won sleep. Throw in the fact that they insist on rousing you in time to cram yourself into a sardine can on wheels known as a train and you are adding pain to injured psyche. Or maybe it's just that I am not a morning person. Regardless of personal preferences the dreaded timepieces and mobile body squeezers are unavoidable, so you might as well deal with them in style. Cue the Yamanote Alarm Clock. An otherwise standard piece, it sports the notorious green decor of the famous Tokyo train line and displays the line's stations arrayed on its circular face. So when it has done the deed and woken you, to the dulcet tones of a ring tone that mimics those used to alert you of incoming trains at Yamanote Line stations, you can figure out how long you have to the next imposition. Capping the deal, it ensures its accuracy by automatic radio time signal updates. The clock can be bought online at: shopping.hobidas.com/shop/nissha-yumekobo/item/L169.html for 7,980 yen.
Mapping the Geek world: In keeping with the rail motif, Information Architects Japan has produced a map emulating that of the Tokyo subway system and detailing the world's top 200 Web sites — from Google to Wikipedia with branch lines to BoingBoing and Fake Steve Jobs. Each "subway line" is color-coded by genre. YouTube rules in Shibuya, Google hangs out in Shinjuku with Wikipedia to be found in Shimbashi and Microsoft in Ikebukuro. The updated version of its map can be seen at: www.informationarchitects.jp/ia-trendmap-2007v2
Light snacks: Just as Japanese trains have their own unique, flavor, so too does the local confectionery, wagashi. In tribute to these culinary delicacies, Luca Nichetto has produced a line of wall and ceiling lamps depicting photographic images of the traditional wagashi, the kind you have to hunt for the right candy store to find. The lamps are made using fireproof fabrics and are available from Foscarini with more information at: www.foscarini.com/en/products/wall/product.php?id=1894&name=Wagashi#galler