Japan has always been at the forefront of innovation and technology, so we can let them have a few clunkers. Nobody can be 100% perfect all the time.

These weird contraptions are part of the Japanese art of Chindogu, the creation of inventions that may initially seem useful but would be completely impractical in everyday life. I can’t imagine ever wanting to use any of these devices, except for maybe the butter stick. That one actually looks pretty awesome.

But who knows, maybe one of these inventions will give you an epiphany and you’ll run out and buy one. Maybe you’re the one person on Earth whose shoes get so wet you need to buy a specific pair of umbrella shoes.

That’s just the magic of science, I guess.