Hashimoto becomes the undisputed, certified Queen of Tissues.

 

It was eight years ago that a photo of young idol Kanna Hashimoto dancing spread through the Internet like wildfire and earned her the title of “the once in a millennium idol.” Since then, it’s been a non-stop rise in show-business appearing in TV, film, and eight out of 10 commercials at any given moment.

 

A crucial aspect of this record is that it can only be done with one hand, but Hashimoto seemed confident she could surpass the previous record of 140 tissues in one minute. As the Guinness official watched on, Hashimoto started with her palm flat on the table and then began plucking like the wind when time started.

 

She showed a keen sense of conservation of movement in her technique, swinging her forearm at the optimum angle for tissue removal and displacement far from the box. This would be the key to her success, because Hashimoto knew that after enough time a large enough pile of tissues could develop around the box that would severely hamper her ability to keep plucking.

 

Still, with the sheer speed of her endeavor tissues had eventually begun to gather around the working area. However, without missing a beat, she used her one available hand to sweep away the mess and resume plucking. Hashimoto also used her knees to help keep a steady momentum.

 

In the end, a casual count by show regular Shinichi Hatori had her at 160 tissues. However, it was clear there were some post-buzzer tissues, so it would be up to the Guinness official to review the tape for an official count.

 

When the judge was finished, Hashimoto was given the plaque declaring her the world record holder for tissue plucking with 157 sheets in a single minute. It was a triumph of the human spirit, but unfortunately online comments were mostly crass remarks about Kanna Hashimoto and reaching for tissues quickly. We removed those comments for the sake of decency.

 

That’s it. That’s all that’s left.

 

Regardless of all the dirty minds out there, it is still an amazing accomplishment but hopefully one that people don’t try to emulate because it would be a huge waste of paper. Even Hashimoto said after her win that this was only the second time she’s ever pulled tissues like that.

 

Surely, joining the ranks of fellow Guinness World Record holders like the Sega Shinjuku Kabukicho Game Center and Lawson will go down as a career highlight for her. One surpassed only by the time she sold me a pair of glasses.