Chindogu: Weird and Useless Japanese Inventions • Hacker News Board

Re: Chindogu: Weird and Useless Japanese Inventions

#21

Post by gucci-on-fleek » Mon, May 11, 2026, 7:45 AM UTC

teppeik wrote: post #20

Japanese people love umbrellas and there are many related products. On the other hand, I've heard that people in North America hardly use umbrellas. Is that true?

> I've heard that people in North America hardly use umbrellas. Is that true?

I'm Canadian (Alberta specifically), and I never use umbrellas, and I hardly ever see anyone else using them either. I've also travelled to lots of the other Canadian provinces and US states, and I don't remember ever seeing people using umbrellas there either. But this could be very local, so there might be regions in NA where umbrella usage is more common.

Re: Chindogu: Weird and Useless Japanese Inventions

#22

Post by xtiansimon » Mon, May 11, 2026, 11:47 AM UTC

technothrasher wrote: post #8

One of my favorite possessions is an 18th century Japanese Sahku Dokei from the Tokugawa shogunate. It's a clock that tells time using twelve temporal hours, six for day, six for night. All the hour markers are movable, so you can adjust them as the seasons change, that way your hours are always evenly dividing the day and night. It pretty obviously wasn't intended to be designed in the Chindogu style, as that was th…

> “Japanese Sahku Dokei”

Well, that’s something quite old and still new to me. Thank you for sharing.

Re: Chindogu: Weird and Useless Japanese Inventions

#23

Post by teppeik » Tue, May 12, 2026, 12:17 AM UTC

gucci-on-fleek wrote: post #21

teppeik wrote: post #20

Japanese people love umbrellas and there are many related products. On the other hand, I've heard that people in North America hardly use umbrellas. Is that true?

> I've heard that people in North America hardly use umbrellas. Is that true? I'm Canadian (Alberta specifically), and I never use umbrellas, and I hardly ever see anyone else using them either. I've also travelled to lots of the other Canadian provinces and US states, and I don't remember ever seeing people using umbrellas there either. But this could be very local, so there might be regions in NA where umbrella usa…

Yes. I once guided two Canadian friends on a tour of Japan, and even when it rained, they didn't use umbrellas (they didn't even own any). Instead, they used things like Arc'teryx waterproof parkas.