Tokyo Trend Tours get good press

During the Tokyo Motorshow CScout Japan had the privilege of hosting a Tokyo Trend Tour for a delegation of journalists from some of the largest publications in Germany. After meeting with designer Tokujin Yoshioka, we roamed the streets of Tokyo explaining trends, mindsets, and the ever-evolving Tokyo landscape.

Below is some press coverage from the tour (German only) from RP-Online and the Frankfurter Allgemeine.

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AOTS and CScout - Made in Japan #2

No talk about why the iPhone won’t work here, but we did get into mobiles a bit on last week’s Attack of the Show…

See Made in Japan #1 here.

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Spiegel features Wonderful Shot dog camera

On December 10th in its “Gaga-Gadgets” column, major German magazine Spiegel highlighted the Wonderful Shot dog camera from Tomy, including our unpaid model dog Sakura (soon to be suing us).

Don’t worry Sakura, a case of Happy Lager is on the way…

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German newspaper Welt covers Hand Grenade alarm clock

In a piece on innovative alarms, German newspaper Welt featured our site with the Hand Grenade Alarm Clock we originally covered here.

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AOTS and CScout - Made in Japan #1

CScout Japan’s collaboration with the G4 Network’s Attack of the Show began recently and will be an ongoing project about twice a month. Check out our first foray on AOTS with the Global Loop.

Show Topics:
- Canned ramen
- Portable disposable toilet
- CAM-007 camcorder
- Bone conduction
- Matryomin theremin

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AOTS: Radiohead’s new one leaves J-fans confused

A few weeks ago I appeared on Attack of the Show on the G4 Network, a lively half-hour of gaming, gadgets, and geek news. Among other things, we discussed Radiohead and how their new album would be received in Japan. The video is below:

I only bring this up because I went to a Radiohead-themed party on my birthday last weekend, and was able to confirm what I long suspected: Not only had most of the hardcore Japanese fans I talked to NOT heard the new Radiohead album In Rainbows, but they didn’t understand the pricing system one bit.

When I told them that they could, indeed, choose a big fat ZERO as the price, they were quite uncomfortable with that idea and found it dishonest. This aspect, combined with the English-only website, makes it very difficult for the average Japanese person to get the album at all. Radiohead is an international band, but blew it with their website when it comes to free-spending Japanese fans.*

As a side note, I’ll be on AOTS again on November 20th at 7 pm EST.

* Anyone know where I can find data on In Rainbows broken down by country?

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Hand Grenade alarm clock in Forbrukerteknologi

This month, Daniel Rees of the Norwegian publication Forbrukerteknologi did a piece on the Hand Grenade alarm clock we featured previously. Thanks to Daniel for the great coverage.

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CScout Japan recruitment: Bloggers, researchers, writers needed

In the last year, CScout Japan Co. Ltd. has expanded tremendously, and we’re getting bigger every day. That means we need good people to help and grow with us: Bloggers, researchers, writers, geeks, and those with a deep interest in all aspects of modern Japan to help us build our online presence, work on client projects, and inspire us.

The Job(s): We’re now looking for fresh voices, opinions, and insight into Japan backed by a strong writing style. This means research (in Japanese), posting blog pieces, and some work for our clients as well. Total: 15-20 pieces per month, plus additional work as needed.

Requirements: You must live in Tokyo with a proper visa, have a decent understanding of the Japanese language and culture, and possess a good eye for what’s cool/trendy/emerging in the areas of design, technology, marketing, fashion, music, etc.

Payment: You won’t get rich, but we’re willing to pay well depending on what you can do, based on your experience, skills, and all that fun stuff. If you don’t feel that you have what we need yet, but still want to get involved, we also accept a limited number of internships which can evolve into paid work.

To inquire: Send relevant info about yourself along with some writing samples (Preferably on related topics) to contact (at) cscoutjapan.com with “CScout Recruitment” in the subject line.

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CBC Radio, Spark, QR codes…and CScout. Listen in!

Recently, CScout Japan’s Michael Keferl was interviewed by Nora Young of the CBC radio show Spark, a weekly look at trends and technology that broadcasts from Toronto.

Despite the standard Skype drop-off (or ten), they had a great talk about QR Codes here in Japan and what users can do with them. You can check out the show via podcast, or listen live on CBC Radio One this Wednesday at 11:30 or Saturday at 4:00 EST.

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Italy’s Corriere della Sera and CScout Japan

A while back, the most famous newspaper in Italy, Corriere della Sera (Evening Courier), ran a piece highlighting the Sega Grand Pianist with information provided by CScout Japan.

Many thanks to the paper, as well as to Massimo Triulzi, the author of the piece.

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