Japanese Men Lap Up To New Comfort

Back in October we brought you the story with the "Boyfriend's Arm Pillow" - which consisted of a headless torso and a stuffed arm that curled around the sleeper. We ended the story telling you they were working on something for the guys. So what did they come up with? A foam pillow shaped like a woman's lap, with a "skirt" cover.

So Japanese men who want to rest their weary heads this Christmas season are finding comfort in the lap of a woman. The torso-less "lap pillow" stands upright like a small cushion and resembles a woman's legs in a miniskirt.

"Single men find this soothing", said Mitsuo Takahashi of the manufacturer Trane KK.

He said that the Hizamakura, or lap pillow, fulfilled a primal need. "From the time people were kids, people have laid their heads on their mothers' laps to get their ears cleaned", he said. "This is made to be quite close to the real thing".

So far the company has shipped about 3,000 of the sets of laps, which are retailing for 9,429 yen (90 dollars) with choice of a red or black skirt, Takahashi said.

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