けいたいOK-tiemobile phone/handheld

A combination of 4 very Japanese traits led to the invention of the OK-tie:

• A large working population with a formal dress code.
• Extensive use of public transportation for commuting.
• An obsession with mobile phones.
• A culture that's accepting of strange innovations.

What is the OK-tie? It's a neck tie designed to hold and protect a mobile phone or other handheld device. It was created by a savvy Japanese inventor who realized that commuters often use their phones for texting and web browsing while on the train. But doing so presents a number of annoyances and hazards.

• To use the phone, you have to take it out of your pocket. But doing so on a crowded train could sometimes be a challenge. In the worst case, you might be mistaken for a チカン (pervert).
• As mobile phones grew smaller, you were more likely to drop them.
• It can be difficult to hear a call if your mobile phone is in your pocket.

So the OK-tie is like a normal neck tie except that it has a protective pouch for your mobile phone or other handheld device. It allows you to quickly bring the device up from your torso with an easy gesture. The fancier models allow you to use your handheld device directly from the tie, so you never need to worry about dropping or losing it. And when you're done, you just release it and it drops back to your stomach!

You could say that the OK-tie keeps both you and your phone out of trouble (OK)!

The OK-tie proved so popular that women began to wear it as well, even with a blouse.

So why does けいたい remind us of the OK-tie? Easy. The Japanese are fond of 2 other things: shortening foreign words and making puns. So anyone could have guessed that they'd soon to begin calling the OK-tie the K-tie and getting a good kick out of the intentional confusion they'd cause with the ambiguity.

jekor
2009-05-09