Last week we headed out to the Tokyo International Gift Show to check out some of the latest offerings from Japanese companies producing lifestyle goods. We’ll have more on that this week, but for now I want to show off my favorite debut, the Asobo by Japanese company AUN. Asobo allows you to customize just about any small item with photos and graphics of your own design.
You begin by inserting an item into the area below the screen. Examples include iPods, phones, mugs, compacts, and other items with relatively smooth surfaces. Once the machine scans the item, it’s displayed on-screen. From here you can load your own photos from a memory card or disc, size it to the item, and begin your customization.
Using a purikura-like touchscreen interface you can manipulate photos in many different ways with filters, on-screen writing, stickers, and a bunch of other things I didn’t get into. To customize the mirror compact they provided me, I took my own photo of a “cake” from Le Patissier and played around with the filters and effects.
When I finished, the compact was placed in a special printer that quickly blasted the graphic onto its surface. The result was much clearer than I ever expected, and the ink quality extremely good. I couldn’t smear, chip, or otherwise remove it despite my best efforts. Below is my poorly edited video demo:
Asobo is not yet on the market, but AUN sees it as a good addition to game centers or even shops dedicated to this customization. If you’re nervous about putting your valuables into a printer, keep in mind that it’s so accurate that it can even print customized press-on nails in great detail. The expected price is about $12 for a single item, a reasonable price for a service that’s both fun and of good quality.
Michael is the Editor of JapanTrends.com and Director of the 
