Here's an interesting item from the Mainichi daily news. Apparently, loincloths are becoming all the rage in Japan. Picture this: a happy Hack, riding down the street in midtown Osaka, wearing nothing but a loincloth, a matching t-shirt, and a happy smile. If you didn't just get goosebumps reading that sentence, then you have no heart :)

Loincloths are being marketed by the Mitsukoshi department store in Tokyo's Ginza district as a feature product for the summer months ahead, it has emerged. A boom in the sale of loincloths has been seen since last spring, and in just half a year the department store has sold about 5,000 loincloths -- roughly 25 times the normal number it sells. "They're unconstrained and have got good ventilation, and they're suited for Japan's humid summers," a department store official said. The popularity of loincloths has reportedly continued even during the colder months, with about 200 loincloths being sold monthly in winter. The store predicts that that a full-scale loincloth boom is eminent. It has prepared an abundant range of products for customers, from sleek designs featuring dots, goldfish, and fireworks, to loincloths that come with matching T-shirts. With the hot summer months ahead, the loincloths may add a new twist to the "Cool-biz" trend of dressing down to cool off. Source: Mainichi