Human Pillows

The latest example of madcap Japanese innovation is the Boyfriend’s Arm Pillow – a slightly creepy product which bridges the gap between functional nighttime head support and human bedfellow. This is supposed to mimic the curves and contours of the male body (well, half of it anyway) and creates a realistic, if slightly squidgy, sleeping companion.

I’m not entirely convinced of the realism. I know Japan can often be a brutal culture, but I doubt there’s a substantial percentage of native women with boyfriends who are comprised of no more than a headless torso and a singular arm. If they’re aiming at being true to life, then they should develop the range to include a deluxe version that snores incessantly, or one that spends the morning scratching its little pillow balls and farting under the duvet.

The product is proving successful though, and a thousand have already been sold, retailing at £40 a pop. One happy customer, Mrs Suzuki, said “It keeps holding me all the way through. I think this is great because this does not betray me”. These are clearly the sad words of a woman who has been wronged by a human equivalent of the Boyfriend’s Arm Pillow, probably with a full complement of limbs. And a head.

Chin up Mrs Suzuki, there’s plenty more fish in the sea (though sadly not a great deal of whales as your fellow countrymen insist on harpooning them).