Ask anyone to tell you the first things that come to mind when they think of Japan and, once giant robots and kinky fetishes are out of the way, Mount Fuji is bound to crop up.

The enormous near-symmetrical mountain has come to be known as a symbol of Japan, and the sight of it standing tall on a clear day is nothing short of spectacular. Up close, Mount Fuji is nowhere near as picturesque and is a rather unattractive mass of dark grey rock and ash, but from a couple of kilometres away there’s no denying that it has a certain majesty about it, and even native Japanese whip out their phones to take a snap of the notoriously shy mountain whenever they have the chance.

So what better way to show your love of Japan than by slipping your passport into a unique Mount Fuji passport case?

Japanese passports come in two varieties： the standard 10-year passport in red and the five-year blue design. The passports are identical except for their colour and length of validity, however people under 19 years of age required to carry the blue five-year version on account of their changing features as they grow and enter adulthood. After a person turns 20, they have the option of choosing either passport, and pay different registration and processing fees accordingly.

But these are just plain old passports! Sure, they feature the golden chrysanthemum imperial seal on the cover, but this is the 21st century; travellers want something a little more recognisable and iconic when they flash their legal documents at immigration!

Enter quirky design house DETAIL.inc…

Their new Akafuji (lit. red Fuji) passport case retails for just 735 yen (US$9) and features a clever combination of blue, cloud-filled sky, grey mountain base and a clear mountain-shaped window that, when laid over a Japanese passport, creates the image of a glowing red Mount Fuji, at once combining Japan’s national emblem, deep red colour and the world-famous mountain.

The design of the case is incredibly simple, yet completely transforms the passport from somber legal document to something undeniably eye-catching and stylish, and is unlike any design we’ve seen before.

Of course, pretty much any passport will fit into the case, and likewise the blue five-year Japanese passport could be used instead of the red, but something tells us it might not look quite as awesome.

That said, I might still pick one up myself and slip my burgundy-red UK passport into it, if only to confuse immigration staff, or maybe convince them that I love their country dearly and to let me glide through customs next time I return from a trip to my homeland laden with bags full of British snacks…

For more information on the unique passport holder or to check out their other kooky items, take a trip over to DETAIL.inc’s website.

Source: Excite News Images: DETAIL.inc

Japanese passports image by Dribble