YO!'s "useless" gadgets that will solve everyday dining dramas
Limited edition gadgets available at selected YO! restaurants
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
Ever suffered from burning your mouth on your ramen’s steaming hot noodles or a messy soy sauce stain down your white shirt? YO! has a useless gadget to fix that.
The Japanese conveyor belt restaurant is bringing the art of Chindogu, “useless inventions”, to the UK to offer a helping hand with your dining issues.
Chindogu, the brainchild of 72-year-old Japanese inventor Kenji Kawakami, are gadgets to solve everyday issues that are not usually thought to be worth solving.
Home of the quirky and forward thinking, Japan has created many gadgets over the centuries.
Those who have made the Chindogu Hall of Fame include the ‘Train Nap Cap’, to keep commuters from slumping on someone’s shoulder mid-sleep, and the ‘Baby Mop’, to ensure parents’ floors are sparkling clean as their babies crawl along.
The now much-loved, bestseller selfie stick was even deemed a useless gadget back in 1995 after making it into the book, 101 Useless Japanese Inventions.
The YO! Chindogu menu pairs each gadget with their perfect dish accompaniment to give diners a unique eating experience they never even realised they needed.
Order YO!’s delicious Dumpling Miso Ramen noodles and see how the ‘Noodle Splash Guard’ stops your luscious locks getting dipped in broth.
Keep your hot Spicy Seafood Udon from burning your lips, the ‘Noodle Cooler’ gadget will cool down noodles just before they reach your mouth with its electrical fan.
YO!’s Kensington and Southbank restaurants, in London, and YO! Newcastle Grainger Street will be serving up unique Japanese gadgets invented by YO! from Monday, 19 March to Sunday, 25 March.