They give you reasons not to drink beers after exercising and calculate the money you would have spent if you’d taken a taxi.
Iiwa-kei and Metabo-kamen
When you have a few beers after exercising, you can’t help feeling guilty: you’re afraid you’ll regain the weight you just lost! How can you relax and drink without feeling bad? Recently, a Japanese company called Banpresto put a pedometer out on the market that gives you reasons why you deserve that beer. It’s called Iiwa-kei, and the name comes from the Japanese words iiwake (excuse) and kei (calculate).
This pedometer talks, and expounds commentaries from the built-in speakers the content of which is determined by many steps you’ve taken: Level 1 (between 0 and 4,000 steps). Painful comments such as: "You have health risks. Don’t even think about chocolate!" Level 2 (between 6,001 and 8,000 steps). They’re less harsh: "You’re headed towards metabolic syndrome." "You’ve still got a potbelly!" Level 6 (over 10,000 steps). Indulgent comments such as "Not bad!"
There are about 50 different comments and, the more steps you take, the less harsh they are. It also has a very attractive design, with clever and original shapes. They come shaped like chocolates (for women) and like beers (for men). Each one costs about 1,050 yen (8 Euros / 10 dollars).
This product has a mascot called Metabo-kamen (Metabo comes from Metabolic Syndrome and Kamen is Japanese for mask). You can see Metabo-kamen in this video, which is rather threatening for those who don’t exercise regularly:
There is another very gratifying pedometer called Taxi Walker, from a company called Happinet, that calculates the money you would’ve spent if you had taken a cab ride the same distance. It’s like a taximeter. It’s designed so that people who only move about the city by taxi will enjoy knowing how much money they’ve saved. It’s also a great health aide.
Aside from converting your steps to money, Taxi Walker shows you how many steps you’ve taken, and how much energy you’ve consumed. It also has a clock function and keeps a record of the last 7 days. Taxi Walker was launched on the market last October and sold 30,000 units in 2 months. It costs 2,079 yen (16 Euros / 21 dollars).
In Japan, pedometers have always been trendy among those who watch their health, but the Japanese tend to get tired of them quite quickly. These new pedometers have been designed with the aim of adding a bit of amusement and dynamism to a form of exercise as monotonous and boring as walking. They’re sure to encourage you to keep exercising!
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Iiwa-kei and Metabo-kamen
