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Genius Japanese dad designs T-shirt that tricks your kids into giving you a massage as they play

Casey Baseel Mar 6, 2019
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Is your child going through a train phase? Then it’s time for you to get aboard the free massage express just by putting on this shirt.

Japanese Twitter user Ken Kawamoto (@kenkawakenkenke) has a young son, and like a lot of boys of his age, he’s really into trains. So in a sweet, fatherly move, Kawamoto designed a T-shirt that ties into his kid’s hobby.

While the front is plain white, the back has an illustrated rail network, with multiple tracks, a handful of station signs, and even a picturesque pond.

But the shirt’s design isn’t just for aesthetic appeal. Kawamoto specifically created it to double as a playmat for his son’s toy trains. What’s more, Kawamoto doesn’t need to take it off for play time, but continues to wear it while the young rail fan runs his trains over the 3-D terrain of his dad’s back.

On the one hand, this is a pretty thoughtful and generous thing for Kawamoto to do, but he gets something out of it too, because while his son is having fun, Dad is having a massage!

以前作った「寝転がってるだけで子供がマッサージしたくなるTシャツ」をきれいに作り直して出品した：https://t.co/o4QXllvo8h　背中にプラレール幅対応のレールが描いてあるので、子供が大喜びでプラレールを走らせてくれます。気持ちいいです。 pic.twitter.com/5wZ8poE5hJ

— Ken Kawamoto（ガリのほう） (@kenkawakenkenke) March 3, 2019

Kawamoto, who’s also a software engineer for Google, calls the garment “The T-shirt that gets you a massage from your kids just by plopping down on the floor,” and while that won’t win any awards for concise eloquence, it’s definitely an accurate description. The illustrated rail network includes signage designating stations named “Right Shoulder,” “Left Shoulder,”“Spine,” and “Lower Back,” and by requesting his son run his trains along certain routes, he can direct the massage to the parts of his body where he’s feeling the most tension. He’s even able to get a more vigorous massage by telling his son to “Send express train from Spine Station to Right Shoulder,” for example, which the boy amicably does by running the car extra-fast.

「『せぼねちゅうおう』駅から『かたみぎ』駅へ急行お願いしまーす」とか言うと大喜びで肩甲骨周りをグリグリしてくれます。 pic.twitter.com/GyBOkPypXq

— Ken Kawamoto（ガリのほう） (@kenkawakenkenke) March 3, 2019

Online commenters were in awe of the clever clothing creation, heaping praise on Kawamoto with:

“This is the greatest idea I’ve seen in years.”
“You can play with your kid and get a massage at the same time? Awesome!”
“Win-win.”
“You’re a genius.”

Other commenters offered suggestions for follow-up or improvements, such as a shirt with tracks on the front or a jumpsuit so that the wearer could get their calves or hamstrings massaged. And since some kids get eventually get tired of trains and want to play with toy cars instead, a few parents said they’d like a shirt with illustrated streets.

▼ Kawamoto also previously made a shirt with rock-climbing wall grips, after he noticed how much his son enjoyed summiting Mt. Dad.

子供が勝手に背中を登っておんぶの態勢になれるボルダリングTシャツを作った。 pic.twitter.com/PRgYZbyXkp

— Ken Kawamoto（ガリのほう） (@kenkawakenkenke) May 27, 2018

While clothing for full-body or car-based massages are still just unrealized concepts, Kawamoto is ready to offer his train/massage shirt to other parents, as it’s available through online retailer Club T here, priced at 2,400 yen (US$22). Six base colors are offered, in sizes from small to extra-extra-extra large, and the cut is unisex, meaning that dads and moms alike can enjoy a relaxing train ride at the end of a busy day.

Source: Twitter/@kenkawakenkenke
Insert image: Club T
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