"Novels you can eat" was the title of an article in the Asahi Shimbun on March 16. It drew on the initiative displayed by a confectionery-maker in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, to commemorate this year's 100th anniversary of the birth of bohemian author Osamu Dazai. That initiative involves a box of 18 cookies made with 100 percent Aomori apple fiber that sells for ¥1,000 and whose lid shows the cover of Dazai's 1944 novel "Tsugaru" (the name of the Aomori peninsula where he was born).
There may be no country in the world that markets so-called character goods as lavishly as Japan. I fought doggedly to get a cash card from my bank that didn't have the likeness of some awful Disney animal on it, before finally having to settle for one themed on "101 Dalmatians." The lady teller at the counter was unable to answer my query, "How do they pack 101 Dalmatians on a little cash card?"
But no matter, Snoopy spy glasses, Goofy hand calculators and Dumbo study aids — there is no end to what might appear on the market when Japanese ingenuity is applied to American creativity. I wouldn't be surprised if Prime Minister Taro Aso drafted Mickey Mouse into his upcoming election campaign; the rodent would certainly boost his popularity.