The Japanese are recently getting more and more scared of street crime thanks to "WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE" media reports, even though the crime rate is actually falling; so what do they do? Take more self-defense courses? Invest heavily in pepper spray or other non-firearm methods of personal defense? No, they design ways to creatively hide from assailants. No joke: a fashion designer, Aya Tsukioka, has crafted skirts that can be converted to Coke machines (see above) and backpacks that pass very crappily as fire extinguishers (check out the slide show to see why this is not the best defense in the world, unless perhaps you're hiding from Daffy Duck). Other scare-tactic products include stab-proof school uniforms, a purse that looks like a shiny, unrealistic manhole (for...hiding your valuables on the street. This one completely loses me) and tracking chips in kids' cell phones. Let's try to figure this one out after the jump.

The devices’ creators admit that some of their ideas may seem far-fetched, especially to crime-hardened Americans. And even some Japanese find some of them a tad naïve, possibly reflecting the nation’s relative lack of experience with actual street crime. Despite media attention on a few sensational cases, the rate of violent crime remains just one-seventh of America’s.

But the devices’ creators also argue that Japan’s ideas about crime prevention are a product of deeper cultural differences. While Americans want to protect themselves from criminals, or even strike back, the creators say many Japanese favor camouflage and deception, reflecting a culture that abhors self-assertion, even in self-defense.

“It is just easier for Japanese to hide,” Ms. Tsukioka said. “Making a scene would be too embarrassing.” She said her vending machine disguise was inspired by a trick used by the ancient ninja, who cloaked themselves in black blankets at night.

Only in Japan would people rather make total asses of themselves than risk a public altercation with a potential bad guy.

Seriously, though, the article has some interesting points about the whys and wherefores of this kind of cultural bizarreness; for example, advice on how to make your kid look tougher is as simple as wearing weird socks and a white belt. Tsukioka's sold 20 of the skirts so far at $800 bucks a pop. Let's hope this is just a fad, and perverts don't turn this to their advantage by "stealing change" or similar.

[Via NY Times]