'Buddha snot' still selling
Japanese priests have scored only a partial victory in their attempts to stop a sweet being sold as 'Snot from the nose of the Great Buddha'.
They have managed to stop the name being registered as a trademark, says the Daily Telegraph.
But they have not managed to stop vendors selling the sweet to tourists who flock to the temple in the ancient capital of Nara, in western Japan.
The company that launched the sweet three years ago says that in the kind of recession Japan is currently facing, a product name needs to make a strong impact.
A spokesman said some employees had had reservations, so the ultra-polite 'sama' suffix had been added to Buddha in the product's Japanese name.
But the packaging still carries a picture of Buddha picking his nose.
Local media have suggested that the sweet is popular because people in western Japan have an earthy sense of humour, which other Japanese often find coarse.
Another famous Nara sweet is called 'Deer Droppings'.
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