Diaper Sushi, a special nappy which takes the form of everyone’s favorite Japanese dish, has become a massive hit in Japan since making its debut back in 2012.
The product, which has become the ultimate baby shower gift in Japan, consists of a variety of “ingredients” too, much like its delectable inspiration. In their most basic form, the diapers are packaged to look like “rice”, while the pink bibs are turned into “shrimp” toppings. Other toppings include white baby soap in place of squid and orange mini mops for sea urchin.
According to Japan Today, the unique diaper was developed by Noriyuki Monda, an employee of child-care information magazine publisher Wire Mama.
The 36-year-old revealed he got the idea for diaper sushi about a decade ago after learning about “diaper cakes” being given as gifts for babies in Western countries. He thought it would make sense for diaper sushi to make its way to Japan.
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Thanks to Monda’s idea, Wire Mama, based in Tokushima, now corners the market for appetizing-looking disposable diapers. So far, sales have been off the charts as orders for the unique baby shower gift have been non-stop. Each month, the company receives around 200 orders for the “sushi”.
Currently, the demand is being handled by about 10 workers who make the diaper sushi at their homes. The employees, women who raise young children, make each sushi by hand, wearing gloves and facial masks.
“We looked for people who cannot work outside of their house because of child rearing,” Monda, who is also raising a young child, was quoted as saying.
“Thanks to their ideas, the toppings have been improved,” he added.
Last July, the company launched a high-end version called “Takumi” which uses a sushi tub made of a local cedar tree.
One package of diaper sushi, which comes with an assortment of 15 sushi, costs 7,777 yen ($70).
