An uplifting tale of commerce: Boy bras an online bestseller in Japan

The anonymity of online shopping must be what drives things like this to sell so well.

More than 300 men's bras were sold at an Internet store that opened two weeks ago, for 2,800 yen, or $30 each, Reuters is reporting.

The bras, available in black, pink and white, are helping cross-dressing men find their inner woman at the Wishroom shop, an online lingerie retailer that is part of Rakuten, a major Japanese web shopping mall.

"I think more and more men are becoming interested in bras," Wishroom Executive Director Akiko Okunomiya said. "Since we launched the men's bra, we've been getting feedback from customers saying, 'Wow, we'd been waiting for this for such a long time.'"

In Tokyo, Wishroom representative Masayuki Tsuchiya told Reuters, "I like this tight feeling. It feels good," as he modeled the bra, which can be work discreetly under men's clothing.

It reminds me of the great "Seinfeld" episode where George Costanza's dad and Kramer invent the "bro," a bra for men. They called it the "Manzeer," and try to sell the idea to a bra salesman. The idea sours when the salesman asks Frank Costanza if he can ask his wife out for a date. Too bad they didn't have the Internet to make sales on, it would have taken off. At least in Japan.

Aaron Crowe is an unemployed journalist in the San Francisco Bay Area. Read about his job hunt at www.talesofanunemployeddad.blogspot.com