Ginza Tanaka (formerly called Tanaka Kikinzohu Kogyo), is a Japanese jeweler known for its unusual use of gold and platinum in common items. Last year, Tanaka introduced the Pure Gold Textile Collections with a 50M yen swimsuit made by weaving 24K gold thread. Recently, Tanaka unveiled its solid gold 2009 calendar. The calendar measures 67cm x 42cm and weighs 6 kilograms. All the days of the year are engraved on one side, while a picture of the old Yokohama Port is one the other to mark the 150^th anniversary of the port’s opening.

Now, we’ve heard and seen some outrageously extravagant articles, but this definitely takes the cake. And you’re probably asking yourself, who would buy a gold calendar? Well, apparently, someone actually does. According to Tanaka representatives, they have been selling calendars like this for the same price each year since 2006 when it was first introduced.

This calendar is priced at a cool ¥ 30 million (approximately US$ 313,000). Why anyone would need a calendar made of gold is beyond me. Now if they were to melt it and have it made into a couple of jewelry sets – it’s 6 kilograms of gold, after all – then that’s another story.