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SCMP Reporter

Some of you may not agree, but I think the Japanese are incredible. Who else in the world would have come up with inventions such as karaoke, Nintendo and, now, Tamagotch . . . the digital chicken?  Yes, a digital chicken. Though I have yet to see one myself (I'll explain why later), Tamagotch is like a digital clock, only it displays a small, animated chicken wandering around on its tiny screen rather than telling the time.

  Tamago means egg in Japanese while tch means clock. This all makes sense - except why would anyone bother with it? Answer: because you need to keep it 'alive'.

  At this point, let me confuse you further.

  A trendy consumer magazine I read this week pointed out the 'digital animation' was not a chicken but something that changed its shape according to how you 'treat' it.

  'What it will grow into will depend on how you feed it. Everyone's Tamagotch will look different, but whatever it is, it is definitely not a chicken,' the article pointed out.

  Sounds bizarre? There is more.

  When Tamagotch (incidentally, its name sounds a little rude when translated into Cantonese) was officially launched in the territory last week, it instantly became the hippest, and most sought-after toy in town.

  I said toy, and not game, because this egg-shaped object is not really a game.

  Rather, it is like a pet that needs tending to.

  The computer chip is programmed in such a way that the 'creature' will make noises when it is hungry.

  It needs to have the light turned on, and off when it goes to sleep at night.

  You also need to clean up the mess after you feed it.

  If you mistreat your new friend, it will either die on you, or grow into a monster. I tried to get hold of a Tamagotch this week, just to see how it works, but they are all sold out.

  According to the magazine I mentioned, you can still buy one in places such as Mongkok.

  But instead of paying just over $100 for it, you would have to pay through your nose (about $3,000) for something that is no more than 'hype'.

  Also, what if you have bought a fake or imitation for $3,000? This is Hong Kong, after all.

  So, as you may have already gathered, Tamagotch is an incredible piece of marketing. In Japan, there are even stories of young girls being robbed because they carry a Tamagotch around their necks.

  Even a friend of mine, who initially thought Tamagotch was the weirdest, if not stupidest, commercial idea ever invented, has succumbed to its marketing ploy.

  'I suppose it is better than having a child,' was her excuse.

  While my search for a Tamagotch continues, another piece of Japanese invention has recently invaded our household; it is known as a DVD (digital video discs) player-recorder. It came with its own karaoke machine.

  Fortunately, we have so far only used the machine to play compact discs and have not bothered with its karaoke functions.

  But my father is already stocking up on the karaoke collection.

  It includes Jacky Cheung, Leon Lai, Faye Wong, Teresa Teng, Roman Tam and, more alarming and shocking, The Bee Gees.

  Personally, I find karaoke (pronounced kar-lah-okay) not so OK.

  My colleagues and friends will no doubt testify that I am a bad singer and I can never follow the words, either in Cantonese or English.

  Here is my version of Lemon Tree by The Fools' Garden: 'I wonder why, I wonder how . . . mmmm . . . lemon tree . . . hmmm . . . lemon tree . . .' The lyrics (as simple as they are) were all wrong and I am often completely out of tune.

  Of course, my friends are kind, and most of the time they bear with me. Only once did they all leave the room for the cloakrooms when it was my turn to sing.

  Karaoke can, of course, be a dangerous affair. When I was working as a court reporter, cases involving assaults in karaoke bars and lounges were not uncommon.

  There was one criminal case in which the victim was showered with glasses before he could finish his rendition of Just Once. My colleagues used to joke that Just Once was obviously still far too much for the listeners.

  So, have any of the above Japanese inventions touched your life yet?  If not, then you have either been abroad in the wilderness, or you are simply not as bored as most Hong Kong young people are today.



Don't be chicken, get a Tamagotch