Gizmine

gizmine.com

Japanese gadgets are way cool, sometimes too cool or wacky to be made available in the U.S. market. A new Web site promises to satisfy our yen, so to speak, for the latest in innovative, often irreverent Japanese designs. Created by Dynamism.com, a Web-based retailer devoted to the high end, Gizmine is a bit funkier, comprising a superstore of diverse, quirky products that promises to “bring to life the neurotic, over-stimulating, and often overwhelming Tokyo shopping experience.”

Launched on Black Friday 2008, Gizmine offers, thus far, 500 products not available in the U.S., in categories including iPod accessories, watches, USB drives (above), toys, video games, and robots. Search by theme, most popular, or even by color, or simply wander through the predominantly image-driven site for more serendipitous shopping. Highlights are: a fluffy blue robotic chick, a face bank (right), and just about anything in lime green.