Super Terrific Japanese Thing: Food-Scent by Phone

Remember Wonkavision? The notion of sending a chocolate bar via TV signal so you can grab it right out of your set and eat it?

The Japanese have finally come up with something similar. Except that, being a uniquely Japanese version, it’s weirder and more terrible than anything made by Oompa Loompas. You attach the small scent box to your smart phone, select one of three food options, and it blasts their scent in your face. But this is no mere scratch and sniff – the idea is to eat a bowl of bland white rice while the scent lasts, and thereby fool your body into thinking there’s meat on top of it.

We had something like this in college – it’s called Top Shelf Ramen! Requires no phone, and it was never marketed this well. The hilarious English-language commercial (after the jump) pitches this as a diet aid for women and a dream come true for broke-ass men, before recommending its use on a date (for a couple who’ve been together a mere 2 weeks), proclaiming “We’re pretty sure this will help bring them closer!”

Question: After two weeks, your date brings you home to an empty apartment to eat plain white rice while sniffing his phone. Is that a good recipe for intimacy? Would any reasonable human being think it was?

Watch the video and tell me…

via Tokyopop