OWND Cafe brings O2 to your K9

While we’d heard about oxygen tanks for dogs in Japan (and seen them in doghouse form), but a cafe in Tokyo is taking the idea and running with it.

The OWND Cafe (Oxygen, Water, Nutrition, Detox + Dog) in Yoyogi Uehara was closed for the day when I stopped by, but, being dog-less, I probably avoided a potentially awkward situation anyway. The concept of OWND is to come along with your dog, have dual oxygen treatments together, and then share a snack. Who needs Frisbees anymore to spend quality time with man’s best friend?

Photo from the Airpress booth at a recent Pet Expo.

We’re not going to pretend that every Tokyoite with a dog is scrambling to oxygenate their dogs (or themselves for that matter), but this is another great example of Concept Retail in Tokyo that is original and working to create its own niche. After all, ten years ago it would have been hard to imagine maid cafes exploding like they did, but (though they’ve already peaked and are leveling out) the most successful concepts are still going strong.

Yes, perhaps it has a “wacky Japan” tinge to it, but this is Japan after all. If testing out offbeat ideas and innovations is impractical, you can count me in anyway.

Tags: Cafes, health, Oxygen, pets, Retail

Awaseba, the virtual fitting room

Online shoppers have been waiting for this: a software application that allows users to virtually try-on clothing and accessories on their personal computer. Now Avielon Co. is debuting one, called Awaseba.

The product is being marketed to online retailers, who can then feature the Awaseba service on their sites. A one-year rental fee for the program costs ¥630,000 (about $6,000).

In exchange, the service is free for the online shoppers, who create an account with an email address and password login. First-time users simply upload a photo of themselves onto the Awaseba server that will function as their virtual self inside the virtual fitting room.

Luxy Coordinate Collection, a junior ladies fast fashion retail site, and Upsold.com, a general “design goods” online shop, have already signed on to make the service live in the near future.

Some online sites, like stylewalker.com have avatar components for their own sites that users can dress, experimenting with different outfit combinations.

A program like Awaseba, however would not only allow users to use a real image of themselves but also maintain only one profile image for multiple shops.

We can hope (and expect) that this will catch on soon!

Posted by Rebecca Milner

Tags: Fashion, Retail, Web 2.0

PASMO RFID Points and Coupons

Since the end of 2007, Tokyu Corporation affiliated shops have been using the PASMO RFID payment card as a substitute for the ubiquitous point card programs. Because just about every shop and restaurant has such a program, Japanese consumers are left with an array of point cards in their wallets that never seem to get filled completely.

PASMO allows Tokyu shops to put it all onto one card, allowing members to get rid of their previous magnetic-strip card from Tokyu and integrate it with a card that is becoming more purposeful every day. Keio has a similar integration program as well.

Tokyu’s shop RanKing RanQueen, well-known to Shibuya Station commuters, even has some nice digital signage out front that lets users receive coupons simply by placing their Pasmo cards to the transmitter.

However, we wonder if centralizing points from different sources onto one card is actually a good thing for either businesses or consumers. As it is now, people are carrying point cards and coupons that also serve as reminders to go to the shops in the first place. Even with special branding, such as listing affiliated shops on the card, the effect of contactless RFID means that it’s often unnecessary to even remove the card from a wallet or case to begin with.

PASMO official page here

Tags: Coupons, PASMO, Point Cards, Retail, RFID

BeamStationary: Beams + 7-11 and some retro

Convenience store chain 7-11 is collaborating with fashion and lifestyle brand Beams to sell exclusive stationary from the BeamStationary line. Like many of 7-11’s recent campaigns, the line is overtly retro and features notebooks, pens, markers, folders, stick glue, and even label makers that are just like the same items that kids had in the 80’s, but branded for Beams.

From what we’ve seen in the stores, many of the items (such as the pencil case) sold out almost immediately, especially due to the prime display location in front of the register compounded by high traffic from the under-30 set eager for 70’s and 80’s nostalgia.

These pieces aren’t cheap either. With the “floating” pens going for about $6 apiece, they’re a far cry from the similar items I used to get out of vending machines for under a dollar back in the day.

Tags: 7-11, Beams, Convenience Stores, Retail, Retro, Stationary

LEDUBE LED Lego-like building blocks

If you had as many Legos as I did when you were a kid, and you love LED lighting as much as I do, the LEDUBE from Sankoflex should satisfy you to no end. We came across these at the Japan Shop Expo last month and got a peek at how they work as well.

LEDUBEs are LED cubes that can be stacked on each other to create any shape that you desire, including massive structures such as the display booth Sankoflex was using at the expo. Each cube can create 2.1 million colors and, while working together, display amazing moving graphics and video.

All of the content is created on a PC with software, and then loaded into the system with an SD card. Quite simple for the effect produced, but the LEDUBE don’t come cheap either. While they aren’t available for sale yet, the entire display system shown here costs about $4,800 per day, plus $2,400 in programming costs.

Be sure to check out the LEDUBE homepage to get more info. In general we came across a great deal of very innovative LED lighting solutions for both home and retail, from floor displays that play video to incredibly thin tiles that can be used in walls. Japan has always been ahead in LEDs, but there’s a lot going on right now that will change the way we light all of our spaces.

UPDATE 5/14/2008 Here’s a new video of them being constructed. Prettty amazing stuff.

Tags: Displays, LED, LEDUBE, lighting, Retail