This Japanese Snack Will Become a Universal Translator
Want a wearable snack? You’ve got your wish: Japan’s Meiji announced it’ll make AI-powered headphones shaped after its treat Kinoko no Yama.
By Jay Allen
Ever see a snack and thought to yourself, “I can see myself wearing that”? If so, then the latest product from Meiji in Japan is a perfect fit for you. The versatile company announced this week that it would turn its iconic treat, Kinoko no Yama, into a set of headphones. What’s more, the company wants the product to make global communication easier — and is using AI technology to pull it off.
The great Kinoko war
This isn’t the first time Meiji’s found a clever way to draw attention to its products. Indeed, Kinoko no Yama has a history of clever promotions.
Meiji created Kinoko no Yama (きのこの山; Mushroom Mountain), a snack sporting a chocolate mushroom-shaped hat on a cracker stem, in 1975. Kinoko got a sibling a few years later with Takenoko no Sato (たけのこの里; Bamboo Village), a chocolate-coated, cone-shaped cookie. Both snacks…
