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Overview
This article is part of our series on the 17 most unique things to have come out of Japan. Check out the other 16.
Australia isn't the world's wettest place. But when the rain hits, it does so torrentially – and usually in the company of wild winds. Your average $10 umbrella is of negligible defence. That’s why so many of them end up in garbage bins. In contrast, the full-body umbrella is the mother of all weather-protection gear. In fact, it’s more like a shield than a brolly.
A couple of different versions have been spotted around Japan. The first consists of a regular umbrella, attached to a large plastic curtain, which means you’re walking around inside your very own portable cylinder. The second is shaped like five umbrellas stitched together, with plastic triangles filling in the gaps, creating an apparatus that looks something like a space ship.
Of the two, the former is perhaps more elegant (well, as elegant as a full-body umbrella gets), but the latter is more likely to handle gale-force winds. The drawback, however, is that it takes up quite a substantial amount of space. Could be problematic during peak hour.
What’s more, a Japanese designer by the name of Hiroshi Kajimoto has come up with the ‘Unbrella’. It’s an umbrella turned inside-out. The benefits are its ability to stand up independently and the fact that, when you close it, the wet sections are on the inside. Nab one at the Japanese Trend Shop for US$203.