photo from NY Times

If you're an attacker in Japan these days, you may wonder where all your victims are hiding. It's likely that they're in camouflage, hiding on a dark alley in an elaborate fabric vending machine costumes, designed by experimental fashion designer, Aya Tuskioka.

Ms. Tsukioka lifted a flap on her skirt to reveal a large sheet of cloth printed in bright red with a soft drink logo partly visible. By holding the sheet open and stepping to the side of the road, she showed how a woman walking alone could elude pursuers — by disguising herself as a vending machine...These elaborate defenses are coming at a time when crime rates are actually declining in Japan. But the Japanese, sensitive to the slightest signs of social fraying, say they feel growing anxiety about safety, fanned by sensationalist news media. Instead of pepper spray, though, they are devising a variety of novel solutions, some high-tech, others quirky, but all reflecting a peculiarly Japanese sensibility.