Perfect for Halloween: Urban camouflage clothing

Torin Boyd/Polaris, for The New York Times

According to this news article from The New York Times, Japanese people would rather hide than fight back when confronted by a criminal. Because of this, several Japanese designers have come out with some very creative ways of hiding and camouflaging their belongins (not to mention, their bodies as well).

In the image above, you can see that one Japanese designer has transformed the traditional garment into a full look-alike vending machine!

Deftly, Ms. Tsukioka, a 29-year-old experimental fashion designer, lifted a flap on her skirt to reveal a large sheet of cloth printed in bright red with a soft drink logo partly visible. By holding the sheet open and stepping to the side of the road, she showed how a woman walking alone could elude pursuers — by disguising herself as a vending machine.

The wearer hides behind the sheet, printed with an actual-size photo of a vending machine. Ms. Tsukioka’s clothing is still in development, but she already has several versions, including one that unfolds from a kimono and a deluxe model with four sides for more complete camouflaging.

Too bad that this disguise doesn’t light up like a real vending machine.

Here’s another example of a child’s backpack that can transform him into a fire extinguisher booth.

“Japanese society won’t just laugh, so inventors are not afraid to try new things,” said Takumi Hirai, chairman of Japan’s largest association of individual inventors, the 10,000-member Hatsumeigakkai.

In fact, Japan produces so many unusual inventions that it even has a word for them: chindogu, or “queer tools.”

“These ideas might strike foreigners as far-fetched,” she added, “but in Japan, they can become reality.”

If you want to see more examples, check out this NYT slideshow. It’s…amazing. ROFLMAO. THOSE CRAZY JAPANESE!!!