One of my new favourite blogs is Japan Trends, which has provided this blog with many fascinating products and curios from the Land of the Rising Sun. (check out Love & Horses in your lunch break)

Business cards are very important in Japan. Used by professionals and businessmen as status symbols, this is a country where you can order business cards covered in gold. Business cards (or meishi) are at the centre of a complete sub-culture that is a far cry from the UK, where you can get cards printed by a machine in a motorway service station. 

And it isn't all "Hello Kitty" cards either, although they do of course exist. This enterprising model firm, Tamiya - kind of like the Japanese version of Airfix - has developed a series of meishi model kits, where the letters and numbers on the card can be detached and and turned into miniature racing cars and things. 

My own business cards look particularly naff in comparison, especially when AR cards are starting to appear on the scene. 

See also: Grass seed business cards and Meaty business cards