Mould your own
Instead of boring heart-shaped chocs, get original and make your own using ice-cube trays. Kooky company Fred and Friends produce some crazy trays that will be sure to amaze your Valentine and ensure some tasty afters. Our pick is the one in the shape of Big Chap from Alien—and an accompanying one with the alien eggs, too (pictured). But you can also nab other themed ice trays from Kotobukiya stores, such as Batman and Superman ones, and there are rumors of a February launch for UFOs, Space Invaders, Edvard Munch’s The Scream, and more…
Alien ice tray, ¥1,050, available from Kotobukiya
Secret sweets
For a bargain basement chocolate gift bound to raise a few smiles, check out Chocolate Stadium, where you can snap up chocolates in comedy packaging for as little as ¥198 each. Grab your valentine sugar fix in various forms including soy-sauce and energy-drink bottles, and cup noodles. Chocs in faux medicine packages should not be given to those with poor eyesight, or confusion might result in a Valentine’s Day laxative overdose. The Stadium offers other uncommon chocolate goods, such as chocolate bath salt, chocolate-covered squid, and chocolate curry.
From ¥198, available from www.chocolatestadium.com
Giveaway
From the people who brought you the last Metropolis x adidas promotion, comes… the new Metropolis x adidas promotion! This time, win yourself a pair of brand-new adizero Takumi trainers, designed in collaboration with Japanese master shoe craftsman Hitoshi Mimura. The shoes’ dual-sprint sole system is created to absorb shock and maintain your stability. Win a pair (worth ¥13,650) by emailing the origin of the name “adidas” to giveaways@metropolis.co.jp.
Available from adidas retail outlets. More info here.
Now that publisher Kodansha International has closed its doors, rival English-language publisher Tuttle has stepped up to the plate with their latest guide book Getting Around Tokyo: Pocket Atlas and Transportation Guide. They’re hoping to fill the void left by Kodansha’s venerable take-everywhere almanac, Japan Atlas: A Bilingual Guide. However, the too-big-for-any-pocket book appears to target tourists more than bilingual residents, with an included folded map focused on the central areas of the city, info about getting in from the airport, day trip details and transport advice. And it has no index. Nevertheless, it is attractively designed and might be something to bundle into the arms of visitors—especially if they don’t have a smart phone (can you say Google Maps?). 
Deep amid the clanking metallic music of Asakusa’s Kappabashi Dogu St. (Tool St.), where merchants have peddled their kitchen-related wares for almost a hundred years, you can find Tsubaya Cutlery Store. There, you can indulge your slicing and dicing fantasies with over 1,000 kinds of knives, including some designed for those accursed left-handers. You might go for the Desert Iron Wood Damascus Steel model (13cm petty knife, ¥34,000; 27cm butcher’s knife, ¥80,000). Or go more economical with a hammered Damascus steel butcher’s knife for ¥14,500, among many others. In case you didn’t know, Damascus steel is created by an ancient art that forges 63 layers of metal to create the finest blade known to man. Cutting edge or what?
