We ended up having to pay for ours, but this shark-chic style could be yours for free.
We never made an official decision about it, but our Japanese-language reporter Masanuki Sunakoma has become our de-facto lead investigator into the world of low-cost online fashion shopping. There was the time he put together an outfit with just 10 yen (US$0.07) by pairing a “Japanese-style Men’s Solid Color Linen Pocket Cotton Linen Casual Soft Light Thin Material Men’s Blouse Air Conditioning Outdoor Summer-use Bro-style Present” with a pair of equally insanely named pants, followed by an ensemble of shirt, pants, and shoes for just 5 yen. And who could forget his surprisingly valuable 1-yen hat?
With Masanuki searching the Internet for items like those, it seems his browser history paints a picture of him as someone who’s always in the market for inexpensive clothing. But how can you get cheaper than a 1-yen hat?
With this!
There’s some vagueness in terms of what was being offered in the above ad, which appeared in Masanuki’s browser. The ad says that it’s a “sleeping bag” (寝袋), but when he clicked through, the product page called it a “hoodie,” and Masanuki would personally say it’s a kigurumi, a type of one-piece pajama bodysuit. Regardless of what you call it, though, it was being offered for 0 yen.
▼ 0円 = 0 yen
Oh, and it looks like a shark. That was the second thing that Masanuki noticed, after the price.
Unfortunately, there’s a catch, which is the third thing Masanuki noticed. The sleeping bag/hoodie/kigurumi is being offered by Chinese e-commerce site Temu, but it’s only free to new users of the Temu app. Since Masanuki is already a user, if he wanted this piece of shark-chic apparel, he’d have to pay 2,090 yen (US$14.40) for it.
And he did want it, so he put in his order. Masanuki has been burned by some of his past online purchases, but this time he felt confident, seeing as how the shark sleeping bag has a 4.7-star rating in its customer reviews. It’s available in five sizes, with large being recommended for wearers with a height of 175 centimeters (69 inches), extra-large for 195 centimeters, and extra-extra-large for 215 centimeters. After multiple experiences where clothing he bought online turned out to be smaller than advertised, Masanuki opted for the extra-extra-large, which, naturally, turned out to be just big enough to fit his 180-centimeter frame perfectly.
With his sleeping bag/hoodie/kigurumi removed from its packaging, it was time to get changed up…
…and do some field testing!
There’s a park not far from SoraNews24 headquarters in Tokyo’s Shinjuku neighborhood, and with it being still pretty early on a weekday, we figured, correctly, that there wouldn’t be any kids to traumatize there at that time.
Starting with the comfort level, the outfit is extremely cozy. The material is warm and soft, just like a good set of pajamas should be.
However, while the bodysuit was long/tall enough for Masanuki to fit into, the outfit is cut with very short legs.
This creates a bit of a mobility issue, as it’s hard to pick your feet far enough off the ground to step over obstacles or manage big changes in elevation.
▼ You can walk a little more gracefully than an actual shark would be able to, but not by much.
Maybe that’s why the ad presented it as a sleeping bag. As warm as it is, though, the material doesn’t really full durable enough to hold up on an extended camping or backpacking trip, plus the fluffy fabric doesn’t fold up very compactly, which would be a drawback if you’ve got a lot of other supplies you need to carry.
It’s also got compromised visibility when the hood is up, so if you’re going to wear it as a hoodie, you’ll probably want to save it for times when there aren’t a lot of people around.
This isn’t to say that Masanuki isn’t satisfied with his sleeping bag/hoodie/kigurumi, just that he’s not sure it does the best job at fulfilling expectations for a sleeping bag or hoodie. They should make excellent pajamas, though, and he recommends them as a simple, easy way to feel like you’ve transformed into a shark, especially if you’re not walking and people are staying at a distance from you.
Related: Shark sleeping bag/hoodie/kigurumi on Temu
Photos ©SoraNews24
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