One of the great things about learning a foreign language is the fun to be had in messing it up. It’s those completely innocent, yet always unintentionally hilarious mistakes of vocabulary and grammar that make the journey towards second-language acquisition so colorful. In Tokyo, the blockbuster success of the charming Japanese movie “Shall We Dance?” inspired one wedding chapel to wreak hell with English nouns and verbs and propose, “Shall We Wedding?”, followed predictably by “Shall We Reception?”. At my Japanese school, a question on an exam required students to fill in the correct kanji (Chinese character) to complete the phrase. The correct answer was “JYAKU-niku-KYOU-shoku” (The weak perish and the strong survive), but one inventive student wrote “YAKI-niku-TEI-shoku” (Barbeque beef combo plate). It wasn’t the answer they were looking for, but it grammatically wasn’t incorrect, either.

Like the clever BBQ beef student, it’s refreshing to think outside of the box. New twists on old ideas can unexpectedly put a smile on someone’s face, like the products from Hasegawa Cutlery Co., Ltd. A company dedicated to producing user-friendly products in an eco-conscious manner, they blend practicality with wit. Their signature product, Casta scissors, has handles that look like bright green clamshells. You simply squeeze the clamshells to cut, so they can be used by children or those with a weak grip. The blades are housed in an ingenious plastic cover, which enables kids to cut without nicking small fingers. Lastly, the clamshells make a cute clicking sound, resembling the sound of castanets, its namesake. After all, you should try to have fun with everything in life... from your scissors to your mouthwatering proverbs.