We’re sure we all have things that we’d rather our parents didn’t see. That folder within a folder within a folder on the computer titled “schoolwork” that isn’t really anything of the sort; that moustache waxing kit at the back of the drawer; the small collection of letters penned by an old love…

But a parents discovering – and then returning – a condom is perhaps one of the worst experiences a young man or women living at home can have.

Spare a thought, then, for the poor chap who discovered this misplaced condom along with a note from his mother waiting for him when he returned home one evening.

The above image, showing a single condom and a message hand-written on the back of an envelope, was uploaded to a social networking site in Japan on Monday this week, prompting quite the reaction from sympathetic bloggers and Twitter users.

“You keep dropping these things!” the note from the extremely open-minded parent reads. “You have to be more careful! Make sure your sisters don’t find any of them! x”

You have to hand it to the mother here; the embarrassment alone is sure to act as a long-lasting reminder to the young man to be more careful with his love sheathes. And slipping the offending article into an envelope- an unmistakably Japanese move when it comes to avoiding embarrassing situations like handing over cash and the like- seals the deal with a note of delicious formality and consideration.

At least this young man’s parents can rest safe in the knowledge that their boy is practicing safe sex. Attitudes towards condoms in Japan are still lagging a little behind those in the west, and (although I’m sure this isn’t a fair representation of all Japanese men) I’ve had female friends tell me on more than one occasion that they’ve been with guys who “took a shower before and after” as a method of avoiding STDs…

Many Japanese men’s reluctance to use condoms is perhaps due to the poor quality of some Japanese brands. Names like Durex are noticeably absent from many pharmacy shelves, with brightly coloured Benneton and even Hello Kitty-branded condoms instead being a common sight. Sizes are often difficult to discern by reading condom packaging alone, or, on the opposite end of the scale, written in such enormous bold letters that buying them proves embarrassing for many men. After all, few would have the confidence to plonk a box of “Petite” or even “Super Big Boy”-sized rubbers down on the counter along with a 1,000 yen (US$7.60) note…

▼”I’ll take a pack of horse and an elephant, please. The eagles are for a friend.”

There were plenty of comments on online message boards sympathising with the uploader of the photo, with many suggesting that the little smiley face at the end of the message was a stroke of genius on the mother’s part and really rubbed salt into the wound. I think one online commenter summed up the situation best, though, with the line “I just LOLed my ass off.”

Rocketeers, do you know where your condoms are right now!?

Source: 暇人速報 Condom image: Okamoto