In 2008 The Iwate–Miyagi Nairiku Earthquake In Japan,

struck the Tohoku region,

the 7.2M tremor resulted in over a dozen fatalities, landslides and power outages. Local company Shimanuki, a purveyor of the kokeshi doll tradition, awoke to find almost all of their craft work toppled over. But destruction gives birth to new ideas, as the store owners surveyed the damage, and darkness settled in, they wondered if somehow these earthquake-prone dolls couldn’t serve another purpose, particularly in a time of need,

that was the spark that led to the creation of the Akari Kokeshi, shaped and decorated just like normal kokeshi dolls, the Akari Kokeshi is embedded with an LED flashlight that activates only when the doll is toppled over. When an earthquake strikes and the power goes out, the Akari Kokeshi will light the way,

they are available for 10,780 yen or at today's rate £73.27 or $101.70 in the company’s online shop, imagine waking up one morning to find your kokeshi doll toppled over, and you slept right through the earthquake, only to find later in the day your kids played a practical joke on you!