Japanese wonder condom gains cult following in China
Make love not war. Isn’t that what the T-shirts say? And the new record-breaking condom making waves in China could encourage people to do just that. The Japanese-made world’s thinnest condom has been quite a hit overseas, sparking an underground trade in prophylactics. At just 0.01 millimetres thick, it’s probably the only product where the less you get the happier you are.
Last December the Japanese company Sagami Rubber Industries announced the Sagami Original 0.01, the world’s thinnest condom, and it’s been getting people talking all over the world.
It’s thickness measures in at a barely-there 0.01 millimetres, which is half the previous record for world’s thinnest condom. The previous record was actually held by the very same brand, the Sagami Original 0.02 which boasted, you guessed it, a thickness of 0.02 millimetres.
Sales are currently limited to Tokyo, but somehow this wonder product has found its way into China where it’s been gaining quite a following.
The popular Chinese online shopping and auction site Taobao Marketplace has seen hundreds of the product appearing on its pages. Most of them claim to have brought in the real deal from Japan via parallel importing. In other words, while they claim not to be counterfeit, they have been imported without official permission.
The sale price in Japan is 1,200 yen (US$12) for a pack of five, but they’re going on the net at around 1,800 to 2,200 yen ($18 to $22). Sellers are also splitting packs and selling a single condom at around 500 yen ($5).
But the high price hasn’t put people off. On Weibo, China’s microblogging platform, there’s been plenty of praise from users who have tried the miracle condom out for themselves, and taken to the net to report back.
‘I couldn’t feel it at all! I’m in awe of Japanese craftsmanship.’
‘Great porn and great condoms; we’re no match for Japan’s ‘below the belt’ industries.’
‘Instead of the one child policy, handing these out would be a more effective measure of population control.’
A PR representative for Sagami Rubber Industries issued a statement saying The products being sold in China are all being resold illegally.’ However, this being China, no one is paying any heed.
It’s pretty much taken for granted that when a product gains traction, knock offs will follow. According to a Chinese resale broker, Japanese-made diapers from manufacturers such as Kao and Daio Paper Corp were one of the most recent products to go through a surge of popularity. They were flying off the shelves , and with not enough stock to meet demand the fakes started to creep in. They were almost indistinguishable from the real thing, and fake and illegally imported diapers could fetch double the price in China as they were being sold for in Japan. The Japanese companies eventually launched a crackdown against the fake diaper dealers, and perhaps we’ll be seeing a repeat from the condom manufacturers in the future.
In the meantime, stay safe kids!
▼ The previous record holder now seems as unwieldy as a rubber glove. But a 0.02mm thick rubber glove. Imagine doing the washing up in those – you’d feel all the icky bits of food.
▼ New packaging for the even thinner condom.
▼ Someone’s got quite the night planned…
Source: Cyzo
Images: Rakuten , 002.com
