What's with rements, anyway?

I never thought that that teeny-weeny Lipton bottle with a faux peridot that came as a keyholder or dangler would spark what promises to be a lasting passion. 

A staple yield from each of my numerous trips to Japan in line with my work in the 2000s would be cute little key-holders and mobile phone danglers that came as premiums or freebies. I recall how I would stare at the line of bottled drinks on supermarket or convenience store shelves with these freebies hanging from their necks in expressedly designed plastic packaging. Most were replicas of popular bottled drinks -- mineral water, soda, tea, coffee, energy drinks, etc. But there were also assorted novelty items like cakes, cartoon characters, animals, etc. Once home, I would give them to family and friends and enjoy their shrieks of "Oh how cute!!!" as I handed out each mini. 

Yes, I gave them all away. Except, as I found out a couple of years ago that all that time, I had kept the Lipton bottle. I took pictures of it not knowing what to do with it but surely I was decided to keep it for myself.  

Soon after, I discovered on Facebook that other people were into such things, freebies and other amazing miniatures. I also found out that these items are available from selected online stores and were in fact among the best sellers. One needed to be alert to beat other buyers who seemed to have been engaging in this online trade. Otherwise one loses the chance to buy the desired mini and wait until s/he comes across it again in the future. These are priceless collectibles because most of them are freebies one can't simply buy. If available on ebay, they are expensive.

In the process, I learned that miniatures are also called rements. "Rement" is  a derivative of the phrase "reform the entertainment" signifying the intention of Re-Ment, Co. Ltd., a toy company in Japan, to revolutionize toys. It embarked on the manufacture of miniatures of characters in partnership with Disney. 

Alas, the term is not recognized by the dictionary. In spite of this, it eventually became generic (of sorts) especially among collectors.

I think they became popular in Japan because they appeal to the whimsical non-stereotypical side of the Japanese. The Japanese seemed free from the gender and age stereotypes common among other nationalities. I found it refreshing to see Japanese men with purple, bright yellow, or fuchsia mobile phones, complete with various pluggies and danglers which were usually seen among young females. Likewise, elderly women and men sporting youngish fashion. If one likes something for himself or herself, then he or she goes for it without any qualm or fear of attracting attention, much more censure from others. The Harajuku* regulars prove the Japanese are pretty non-judgmental and how I wish we could be more like them in that sense. 

I soon became a regular in online stores, watching out for those mini bottles. Some are pre-loved or pre-owned but what they represented and looked like were what mattered to me. 

I then realized at one point that I had accumulated quite a number. And I didn't know how to set them up so that I could enjoy them with ease every so often. I also wanted to make sure that I had a complete photo file. 

I organized them into types and took pictures. Then soon, other kinds of minis took my fancy. A mini of my favorite cha wan mushi kicked me off to start acquiring other types. I began collecting food replicas, cartoon/comic book/movie character figures, little sceneries, etc. 

Can you spot the littlest banana ready to be eaten? 
(By the way, the double A battery in the photos  
are to help one imagine the actual size.)

So now, I have 30 plus sets in my collection -- coffee, tea, mineral water, wine, sodas, condiments, soup, sushi, breakfast items, candies, pastries, fruits, among others. Many more pieces are in a box, waiting to be organized and set up and photographed when the creative in me flexes its muscle and gets to work. I also sometimes reorganize them, usually when I acquire a newbie in a particular category. 

Among my favorites are museum pieces like sculpture, paintings, and ruins of UNESCO Heritage sites, likewise odds and ends like mini kokeishi dolls and rare

The tiniest bottles in my collection are about to quench the thirst of this tired farm lady.

finds like an aquarium, figures of the Sakae cartoon series characters, selected Disney characters, potted plants, and an old Japanese lady seemingly taking a break from farm work, two teeny weeny bottles of mineral water by her side. 

Krsipy Kreme or J.Co?

Amazingly so real -- fishballs, isaw, turon, kamotecue, 
bananacue, and, oh, the suka with sili! 
A toast to Maryan Saavedra Marcos!

Sorry, this set not for diabetics.

Beyond their eye appeal, I marvel most of all at how expert the makers are that a sushi or cake rement can trigger one to salivate at its very sight. I also consider it a bonus from all these how I have made online
friends who share my interest. I "met" a few who are into making rements and Maryan Sevandra Marcos is one I admire most. She indulged my interest in Filipino street foods and delicacies, and eventually turned out for me what I consider the very best in my collection. (https://www.facebook.com/lulu.pasion/media_set?set=a.10207001001999588.1073741886.1115629530&type=3)

Some of them bring me back to places and incidents many of which encountered in my travels. For instance, those mini coffee items advertising popular coffee shops and products -- Tully's, Becks, Starbucks, Mister Donuts -- remind me of those times in Japan when I would meet with friends and associates or sit alone as I waited for my next meeting close by. The strawberry shortcake mini from Cozy Corner, the familiar white squeeze bottle of the popular Japanese mayonnaise, the soy sauce bottle that is a staple in most Japanese restaurants, the familiar potato chips brand, the shrimp tempura and teka maki, the luscious strawberries and tender peaches, and many more. 

My Lilliputian museum is coming up. Ribbon-cutting soon!

They say that "collecting" is just a socially acceptable and more palatable word for "hoarding" as the two actually mean the same. I disagree not because I am into collecting. 

I believe that collecting does not include the compulsion that drives one to accumulate things. A collector acquires things for and with a reason, even exercising decision-making

by selecting which item to acquire and sometimes even planning ahead on what s/he must look for next and what not to acquire anymore. Which of my categories do I consider complete? Which ones need other items? What other items need I look for and acquire? 

I must admit I was paranoid at one time. Careful that what I am not merely compulsive, I went into self analysis. Why am I collecting? I am because the things I collect delight me. Some are really pretty, some funny, some intriguing. Setting them up, photographing them, even storing them properly were fueled by creativity, even critical thinking. They are important to me in that sense and therefore worth my effort and time. Especially since I embarked on this endeavor at the very (over?) ripe "old" age of 69!

Beyond appearance and the meaningful use of one's time, I sense the creativity that went into each item. Even if a rement is machine-made, there is still a human mind and hand that fashioned the mold without which the machine would have nothing to reproduce. I admire the dedication of those who make such real-looking pieces by hand, like Maryan. 

It's a wonder how far God's gift of human talent can go. It goes as far as one who has been gifted by it is willing to use and hone it to turn out delightful things for sharing with others. How wonderful to realize how God takes our hand and works with us, enabling us to experience the process of creation, though it is different from His which can turn out wonders from nothing. Where He does purely on His own with not much else, we need materials of various kinds -- silicone, plaster of Paris, wood, metal, various tools, etc. Most importantly, we need His gift of talent, whether this be writing or making music or, yes, making rements that uncanningly look so real. 

Now I understand why I was mesmerized by that carved rice grain displayed at the National Palace Museum in Taipei with a magnifying glass in front of it so one could see the old man coming out of a cave through thick foliage. And also why I felt I just had to buy, and did, that walnut carved with people's faces at the Badaling gate of the Great Wall of China. 

Amazing, You truly are. And when we align to You, we can have a taste 
-- directly or vicariously -- of how awesome feels in our own limited way. Thank You. 


















*Harajuku is a district in Tokyo, Japan that is known as the hub of young Japanese who find joy in expressing their individuality and freedom in what to most may be far-out outlandish fashion.