In Japan almost every occasion calls for a gift and gift-giving is a practice encountered everyday. For this reason, Japan is a wonderful source of inspiration for your next token of appreciation or celebration. The Sea Bream is associated with good fortune here, which makes this 'fish on a rope' the ideal housewarming gift!
I spotted this quirky gift in Tokyo in Claska Design Hotel's concept store 'Do'. It is also available from Rakuten (ships internationally) and from Cooper Hewitt National Design Museumin the US. The soap comes in pomegranate (red) , brown sugar (black) and lily (white).
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Ouch! The rope resembles a hook that got lodged in the lip of the fish... not exactly cheerful!
I've seen them at Korin, a great Japanese cookware shop in Tribeca: http://korin.com/site/home.html
Oh how lovely! They make cakes in the shape of these fish two. If you brought both to my housewarming, I'd be pretty happy.
IN Japan, giving soap is a faux pas. It implies that you think the recipient smells bad.
We saw this at Zinc Details in SF today...it was beautiful, but retails for $48...ouch!
It's not so much a soap in the shape of a fish, but a soap in a shape of a cake that is in a shape of a fish. This cake is called "Taiyaki", a pancake-like shell filled with sweetened azuki beans. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiyaki It is as common as donuts in Japan, often sold in stalls at festivals. It is therefore associated with celebration.