Panasonic RP-HTX7 - Cool headphones from Japan

The latest headphone trend on the streets of Tokyo! RP-HTX7 - The Panasonic original from Japan! Colors available: black, white, green, beige, blue.

Click to buy the Panasonic RP-HTX7 in the Online Shop

“Courrier Japan”: Interview with Sven Kilian-Nakamura

The Japanese magazine “Courrier Japon” printed a translated version of the German Stern article about “Trends in Japan”. it was published in the section “How the world sees Japan”. Quite an interesting magazine and a great idea to show your own folk how the other folk sees you. Maybe helps bridging some stereotypes. Anyway, Japanese people around me liked it and were surprised that we take so much interest in them…humble as always;-)

Fashion Trends - Black Stockings on Tokyo Streets

Today I could finally concentrate on sth I wanted to do for a while, leg-hunting on Tokyo`s streets. The “mini skirt or short pants “overknee high socks” trend is at its boom. What was only one of the hundreds of styles expressed by the various “fashion leading” yound and daring has now become a every day sight and acceptable to even the rather conservative.

Trends in Japan - Ninki Stats

What is ninki (popular) in Japan? Here are some stats of various categories to keep you updated on stuff you might or might not have heard of:

Karaoke - Konayuki by Remioromen, Seishun Amigo by Shuuji to Akira, Sakura by Kobukuro

Gamesoft - Braintrainer on Nintendo DS, Pro Baseball Spirits 3 by Konami on PS2, Oideyo Doubutsunomori (Animal forest) on nintendo DS

Readings, Books - Tokyo Tower (Fiction), Byokininaranaiikikata (How to not get sick, non-fiction), senensatsu wo hirou (picking up a 1000yen note, Business)

Strongest Brands seen from the Consumer:
- Studio Ghibli (Anime)
- Toyota (Automobile)
- Seven Eleven (Convenient Store)
- Panasonic (Consumer Electronics)
(ipod managed to reach position 15 even before Coca-Cola)

Strongest Brand seen from Enterpreneur:
- Toyota (Automobile)
- Honda (Automobile)
- Matsushita (Electronics)
- Canon (Electronics, Optical)

Brand strength in 4 categories:
- friendly: Studio Ghibli (Anime), Calpis (Beverage, non-alcoholic), Coca-Cola (Beverage, non-alcoholic)
- convenient: Windows (Software), Microsoft Excel (Software), Panasonic (Consumer Electronics)
- outstanding: Studio Ghibli (Anime), Disney (Anime), Honda (Automobile)
- innovative: iPod (Audio), Yahoo (Internet), Toyota (Automobile)

iPod Keitai - Apple & Softbank

Quite an interesting and promising move by Softbank to push back acquired Vodafone to the Champion League and by Apple to gain lost marketshares due to the new generation of mp3 Mobile phones and related mobile music portals…

from Yahoo News

TOKYO (AFP) - Softbank, the fast-growing Japanese Internet and telecommunications group, will work with Apple Computer to jointly develop mobile phones that have iPod music players functions, a report has said.

Softbank President Masayoshi Son and Apple Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs met and reached a basic agreement on this partnership in cell phone handset operations, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun said, without citing sources.

The report did not disclose where and when the meeting took place.

The new handsets are to be released in Japan sometime this year at the earliest, the Nihon Keizai said.

Initially, the handsets would have to be connected to personal computers in order to access the iTunes Music Store to download music.

But as early as next year, the iTunes Music Store will unveil a new service that will let users download songs directly to compatible cell phones, which the two firms will develop, the Nihon Keizai said.

Details such as the fee for downloading songs are to be discussed later, the newspaper said.

The reported move came shortly after Softbank bought the Japanese unit of British mobile telephone giant Vodafone.

By tapping Apple’s strong brand name, Softbank hopes to increase its competitiveness against rivals NTT DoCoMo and KDDI, the Nihon Keizai said.

For Apple, the tie-up will allow it to enter the market for cell phone handsets, pushing ahead with offerings that combine the handsets with its music download services in the United States and elsewhere, it said.

Shibupara - Ward Marketing Campaign

The Shibuya ward in Tokyo showed off for the 29th time with the Shibupara (short for Shibuya Paradise), a 10 day event to promote Shibuya as “the” fun place in Tokyo.

The “Ward-Marketing” campaign aims at showing that Shibuya is not only fun and crazy but also a clean and safe place to go, meet and have businesses. Organized by the Shibupara committee and union of shopping streets it was supported by the Shibuya Ward office.

At the numerous events singers, girl idols, comedians and a “maid cafe” band were showing of their skills and flowers and ballons were handed out as give-aways.

Iyashi log from Sega Toys: relaxation and healing

This charcoaled branch in fact is the newest gadget feeding the Tokyo crowds hunger for relaxation tools. Iyashi (Relaxation) has become one of this years trend buzz words. With their “Iyashi” Sega Toys has thus added one more product to the line of Home Planetariums, i-pets and heart warming toys, all thought for target groups in their 30s to 50s. Iyashi does not only produce relaxing sounds disguising itself as an interior intention, it also can be plugged to loudspeakers to enhance the sound.

Click to buy Iyashi in the Online Shop.

Japan Trends - Campaigns in Tokyo

Some campaign visuals from Shibuya…