Tokyo Midtown is selling New Year's-themed goods. The runner-up in this year's and 2008 student divisions of the Tokyo Midtown Award, an art and design competition, has been commercialized.
The runner-up in this year's competition, which called for entries on the theme of "the middle," was "ATARI MANJU" (5 pieces/1,200 yen). The bun is shaped like a target, a symbol of winning big, and is eaten by shooting it through the middle with an arrow-shaped toothpick, bringing good luck. The Japanese confectionery shop Kana Shojuan has commercialized it, and it will be on sale at 70 Kana Shojuan stores nationwide from the middle of this month.
The runner-up in the 2008 student division, which had the theme of "Japanese New Souvenir," was "Kabuki Face Pack" (2 pieces/880 yen). The face pack, infused with beauty serum, features designs of kabuki makeup from the popular plays "Funabenkei" and "Shibaraku." Supervised by kabuki actor Ichikawa Somegoro, the product is sold at the National Theater and other locations by Isshindo Honpo, a retailer of kabuki-related products. The Tokyo Midtown Award competition began in 2008 as part of the city's goal of "creating and bringing together new Japanese values, sensibilities, and talents, and continuing to share them with the world." To date, winning designs have been commercialized, including the "Mt. Fuji Glass," which creates the image of Mt. Fuji when a drink is poured into it; the "Auspicious Piggy Bank," which can be used as an interior object or paperweight; and the "Energy-Saving Light Bulb," a candle that provides a day's worth of light.