dakimakura
A new kind of dakimakura designed to provide fantasies that are actually based in reality.
Young man in Southern California has a degree, and also a very clear opinion on who Love Live!’s best girl is.
Fluffy add-ons seem like they’d make the pillows less comfortable for sleeping, yet better equipped for their primary purpose.
Fans of cosplay star Enako will now be able to get their hands on her, or at least her new dakimakura cuddle pillow.
Swiss super otaku Melonpan might just be the most bonkers Resident Evil fan on the internet…
New frontier in otaku tech smashes crowdfunding goal, set to ship soon.
The American broadcaster’s We Bare Bears features a panda, a grizzly, and a polar bear…and in its most recent episode, also an anime schoolgirl pillowcase.
The creative team at Bibi Lab have been at it again. The inventive brand dedicated to bringing weird and wonderful items out into the world have delighted us with life-sized human-shaped pillows, mosquito net jumpsuits and even sailor-style schoolgirl uniforms for men.
Now there’s another item we’ll be adding to our growing collection of Bibi Lab products: the giant anime-style pigtails pillow.
When you look at them a certain way, huggy pillows with pictures of cute anime girls on them are kind of creepy. Well, actually, they’re creepy in several ways, but for right now, let’s limit our discussion to one way in particular.
Even if we accept that there’s nothing wrong with consensual love between a man and his pillow, their relative sizes make the situation kind of weird. After all, a person’s height is far greater than a pillow’s length, so wouldn’t Miss Anime Pillow feel a little awkward cuddling with her much larger otaku owner?
It’d probably be a little like squeezing a gigantic anime pillow that’s six meters (19.7 feet) long. Of course, if that sounds like your personal vision of bedtop bliss, there’s a company giving away just that.
We’ve talked before about Japan’s love affair with gigantic hug pillows. Even if they’re not covered with pictures of your anime or celebrity crush, dakimakura, as they’re called in Japanese, have a number of physiological advantages, as well as the psychological benefits some people reap from having something to hold as they sleep.
Of course, some people also feel more secure and relaxed being held as they sleep, which is why Japan has a new, double-pronged huggy pillow that can hug you back.
We recently looked at the physical and psychological benefits of sleeping with hug pillows, or dakimakura as they’re known in Japan. But while that discussion was limited to plain, undecorated dakimakura, it’s no secret that a large number of jumbo-size pillows in Japan are adorned with drawings or photos of the owner’s anime or celebrity crush.
Sometimes these dakimakura end up being used for relatively chaste purposes, like a romantic train ride. We don’t think it’s going too far, though, to speculate they’re also put to more lascivious means as stand-ins for obsessive fans’ lust towards their unattainable objects of desire. As a result, one new dakimakura allows you to tear the clothes off a rock star.
MOST POPULAR
Today
Studio Ghibli adds new Jiji’s baby plush toy to its anime merchandise range in Japan
Studio Ghibli releases new Kiki’s Delivery Service Jiji music box for anime fans
Over 1,400 cities in Japan see foreign population rise, total populations drop in new statistics
Stray cats almost became classified as an invasive species in Japan but the change was overturned
7-Eleven Japan adds new doughnut-like tonkotsu ramen fried chicken to its hot food section
Starbucks Japan unveils new Kyoho grape drinks for a taste that’s quintessentially Japanese
Japan’s new beer glass is designed to force you to drink…water [Video]
This beautiful rural Japan river is a great alternative to touristy summer retreats [Photos]
This awesome Japanese arcade chain has crane game coaches to help you win prizes
New Japanese vending machine at Shinkansen station sells cups of ice on platform
Weekly
Pokémon Center Online designates first Pokémon items that will require Japanese ID card to buy
Japanese toilet aims to attract foreign tourists but not everybody is happy about it- New Japanese vending machine at Shinkansen station sells cups of ice on platform
Anime fan in Japan arrested for ordering and cancelling over 4.3 billion yen in anime merch
Starbucks Japan teams up with Traveler’s Company for new stationery and goods collection
Beautiful Totoro bonsai figure needs no watering, makes soothing rain showers whenever you want
End of a manga era as Weekly Shonen Jump’s circulation drops under one million- Japan’s new beer glass is designed to force you to drink…water [Video]
Kochia calling: Right now is a great off-season season to visit this beautiful Japanese park
7-Eleven Japan rethinks convenience store drinks with new Grilled Corn Chilled Soup Smoothie
Monthly
Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
Japan now has human refrigerators inspired by Japanese vending machines
Hatsune Miku collaborates with Hokusai’s art in new Vocaloid ukiyo-e illustration series [Pics]
New Shinkansen luggage drop-off system begins in Japan, making train travel even easier
Studio Ghibli releases anime T-shirts that pay homage to one of Hayao Miyazaki’s most personal films
Air-conditioned dress shirts arrive in Japan to save working professionals from sweltering heat
Japanese Shinkansen becomes an overnight hotel for three nights this summer
Cup Noodle unveils first-ever cold-water instant ramen in Japan- Pokémon Center Online designates first Pokémon items that will require Japanese ID card to buy
99-year-old woman rescued while attempting to climb Mt. Fuji
Yearly
Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Studio Ghibli has a new anime out, and there’s only one place in the world where you can see it
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]- Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
Japanese ninja certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroad
Salomon releases Japan-exclusive Mt. Fuji hiking gear that doubles as an amazing souvenir
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
RECOMMENDED STORIES
Starbucks Japan unveils new Kyoho grape drinks for a taste that’s quintessentially Japanese
Japan’s new beer glass is designed to force you to drink…water [Video]
This beautiful rural Japan river is a great alternative to touristy summer retreats [Photos]
This awesome Japanese arcade chain has crane game coaches to help you win prizes
New Japanese vending machine at Shinkansen station sells cups of ice on platform
Japanese convenience store food gets turned into hyper-realistic stationery you can peel open
This Japanese chopping board sanitising bag might be the handy kitchen gadget we never knew we needed
Studio Ghibli theme park announces new expansion saluting a previously off-limits anime
Police ask Kumamoto residents to not get blackout drunk as much during earthquake relief efforts
Are Japan’s room-temperature curry packets the boxed lunch heroes we’ve been looking for? [Taste test]
Did you know? Only one Beard Papa’s in all of eastern Japan sells soft serve in a cream puff
Wagyu ramen for foreign tourists appears in Kabukicho, with a very high price tag
Kumamoto earthquake may have created Japan’s newest hot spring inside flooded restaurant [Video]
Tokyo is getting a branch of famous Los Angeles hot dog chain Pink’s with Japan-exclusive items
-
