The pickled ginger business certainly is competitive. At least it appears to be since food producer Iwashita has been working extra hard at getting some brand awareness going. First they released an iPhone case with a replica of their Iwashita New Ginger brand pickled ginger sticks on it. However, everyone just thought they looked like penis nunchaku.

Now Iwashita is back with a new campaign they hope will win over the masses. It’s called the “Attempt! 10,000 Head Project!” where they hope to photograph ten thousand people wearing a giant pickled ginger or shallot on their heads. Why you ask?

I have no idea. Maybe they feel that after wearing a big piece of ginger or a shallot on your head and getting your picture taken in it, you’ll develop a deep relationship with the foodstuffs and want to enjoy them more as part of your regular diet.

The Iwashita New Ginger head measures 60cm or five gingers tall if you prefer to measure things in pickled foods. The shallot head stands 66cm or a whopping 33 shallots tall.

By now you’re all probably clamoring to be a part of this once-in-a-lifetime experience, and want to know how. Well, that’s the tricky part. The 10,000 Head Project will appear at various events around the country.

The last photo session was done at the Berry Ten Live music festival in Tochigi Prefecture where, according to Iwashita’s official project site, they seemed to have photographed 37 people – well on their way to 10,000!

To find the next event where they’ll be, you’ll just have to keep watching the project site like a hawk… a savory pickled hawk.

Source: Iwashita Attempt! 10,000 Head Project!, @ Press News (Japanese)
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