An American Friend Spotted a ¥74,800 Denim Daruma in Ginza and Bought It on the Spot

What's going on

A daruma is a round, hollow, bottom-weighted doll modeled on Bodhidharma, the monk credited with founding Zen. They're sold at temples and New Year markets, usually painted red, and they work as wish-holders: you ink in one eye when you set a goal and the other when you get there. Because of the weight in the base, a daruma rights itself every time it's knocked over, which is where its reputation for stubbornness comes from.

This one was sitting in a shop in Ginza, Tokyo's expensive shopping district. It wasn't papier-mâché — it was made of denim, by hand, and priced at ¥74,800, a little over $500. Someone showing an American friend around the neighborhood watched him look at it exactly once, say "Super cool!!", and buy it, with no visible deliberation in between.

The reaction split cleanly in two: people doing the currency conversion and wincing, and people pointing out that the maker is a real craftsman — and that the denim daruma had already turned up on national television a few years back.