The Joys of Engrish

Skating close to insult by mocking the English used by some Japanese advertisers and product designers, Caires takes care to show fascination, not derision, in his explanation of why he's attracted to Japanese-created English phrases. "Somehow, oddball truths seem to emerge," he writes. "Irony, existentialism, and dark humor appear where only fun-loving phraseology had been intended." As he's done with the Web site Engrish.com, Caires collects an array of examples that emphasize his belief that there is profundity, even if it's accidental, in the way English words are used by Japanese designers. He includes clothing items, like a baby bib with "Nice Lovers" surrounded by cherries, and accessories, such as the purse embossed with "Time resolves nothing." Rather than add commentary to each item, Caires presents only a brief introduction and lets each image "speak" for itself. Usually shot closeup, the photographs are a parade of cute icons, bubbly fonts and non sequiturs like "Bravo!" or "Dust and dreams." The phrases are often amusing, like the pad claiming, "This is the most comfortable notebook you have ever run into," and some do have the existential tint Caires speaks of: "I am always full of appetite," notes a squirrel discussing walnuts. "Then, it is fine." (Dec.)