Searching for Odd English (aka Engrish) in Japan? Look no further than the local supermarket!

One of the novelties of coming to Japan is seeing all of the weird English-translated signs, menus, quotes on t-shirts and more. It makes for some amusing memories and even better Instagram photos. Of course, "Engrish" signs can be somewhat hard to find these days, with the modern innovation of things like Google Translate and other web-based tools that have helped prevent awkward slip ups--unless you know where to look, that is. If you do still want to get a chuckle out of some humorous signage and pick up some fun souvenirs for family and friends back home while you’re at it, look no further than your local supermarket.

The world already knows of several oddly-named Japanese products, such as Pocari Sweat and Calpis, but here are some other gems that you can find on many Japanese store shelves.

Rice crackers

“Salad Hope”

We’ve all probably wished that we’ve eaten something as healthy as a salad when we’ve been chowing down on a donut, a giant steak, or some fried chicken. These rice crackers are the first food item I’ve seen to feel that emotion along with us. Salad hope, indeed.

Gas Canisters

“My Bombe”

Anywhere else in the world and this item would likely get quarantined and searched. You only have to utter the word bomb to have Homeland Security on your case these days--but in Japan stores openly offer gas cans called "My Bombe."   Not the most reassuring thing to call something meant for lighting stoves and heaters.

Pet Sweat

Going one up on Pocari Sweat is this gem that you’ll find in the pet supplies section of supermarkets or some other retail stores. Pet Sweat is actually a calcium fortified bottled water for your beloved furry friends, but as someone new to Japan (or even a traveler) you can absolutely understand how this could be misconstrued--and cause uncontrollable gagging in the process.

Pasture Timothy

Another amusing pet food aisle find, this rabbit food name sounds like the developers just took an English word and random name and mashed them together. In the end, it starts to make sense since Timothy is a type of grass but certainly amusing, especially with the repeated "Pasture, Pasture, Pasture" watermarked all throughout the packaging.

My Morning Bread

No really terrible odd words or unappealing words featured on this one, but it definitely begs the question: is there an afternoon bread...or evening?  Am I only supposed to pair this with breakfast foods? [Spoiler alert: the name has nothing to do with the flavor, of course--just a literal translation of what the random Japanese name affixed to it]

What I also enjoy is the haiku-like poetry at the bottom of the packaging.   They didn't quite make the syllable count, but A for effort.

Harvest Biscuits

If you weren’t sure what these biscuits were, wonder no more. The marketing geniuses at this company said “we’re simply going to have a byline on the packaging explaining exactly what this item is.” Super thin and tasty appetizing biscuit leaves little to be wondered about what is inside, unless you're wondering what the heck they harvested to make them, that is.

And last but not least, my personal favorite...

Face Wash

Naive

You have to love when the product you're purchasing makes you wonder if the company respects your decision-making.  After all, naive literally means “showing a lack of experience, wisdom, or judgement,” as in, "You must be very naive to think this will actually help your skin." Certainly, the name begs the question about whether this product is actually any good, and something tells me that my fellow expats have been somewhat reluctant to try this particular brand. In the end, I think the company must have thought that "Naive" sounded good to non-English speakers.