Random Culture

Friday Future: Apple in Japan

Wow... Hashem at the Brain Sells blog posted a great video of Apple's beautiful interactive 3D "pillars" from the Tokyo Ginza Store. They let visitors to the store know what's on each floor. Check out the video below.

Blogging in Japan

Joi Ito has a great post about the state of blogging in Japan.This excerpt from his post explains it all:

"The other day I heard a radio commercial where they read out the URL, but added that you could post comments and send trackbacks. Yes. Trackbacks. I have yet to hear a radio commercial in the US on a normal major FM show (maybe there are some) asking people to send trackbacks a site."

Wow... trackbacks mentioned in a radio spot. Progressive.

KFC's "Hottest" Product

My friend and old roommate Eric has been living in Japan for a few years now, and every so often he sends some pictures of funny things he finds. Well, he sent a new email this last week, and I thought one of the photos was worth sharing here...

Behold, KFC's "hottest" product in Japan.

Engadget Chinese Beta

Weblogs, Inc. is launching their popular gadget site, Engadget, in Chinese! What's more, founder Jason Calacanis says that they'll also be opening Engadget sites for Japan and Korea. The Chinese site is not just a translation of the Engadget english site. Rather, it's unique content that still manages to give a global perspective. What's with the ads, though? They're all in English! So are the categories and other Weblogs, Inc. sites...

This definitely should be applauded... I've been raving about China for a while now, and it's good to see a company really thinking globally, as they should. So what Weblogs, Inc. properties are next for a global makeover? I'd like to see the Autoblog or Cinematical from another country...

Update: If companies don't start following the Weblogs Inc. example, users will take matters into their own hands. A post on Boing Boing today confirms this, as one of their users is translating Boing Boing posts into Chinese and posting them.

Live Baseball for Mobiles

Wow... Wireless Watch Japan posts about an interesting service being offered over DoCoMo 3G phones in Japan. Craftmax's "Digital Stadium" broadcasts American and Japanese baseball games live onto users' mobile phones... but with a twist. Wireless Watch Japan describes it this way:

"This is not fantasy baseball, and not an online game, but rather The Real Thing -- rendered into animated avatars standing in for flesh-and-blood players."

Wireless Watch Japan has a video of the service playing on a mobile handset... Make sure you check it out.

Link via Octopusdropkick.

Hello Kitty iPod Mini

The folks at TechJapan point to a limited edition Hello Kitty iPod Mini... Here are the details from their site:

"Available only in pink, the 6GB iPod mini comes with a Hello Kitty iBe@r stand, case and set of keyrings. Only 2000 will be available so don't delay!"

Will the Hello Kitty brand ever die? I don't think so.

Wow: Sekisui - DESIO

Octopusdropkick points to the site for the Sekisui DESIO. This is a really cool flash site in terms of design and navigation. It's okay if you don't know Japanese, just explore the site...

"Drag and drop the family member of your choice to any part of the house. Click the location sensitive popup menus which lead to photos or video of the area."

Japan Tech: Part 3

The third installment in CNET's special report, "Japan's Sun Rises Again," has been posted. This third part is actually a photo gallery, with images of tech and life in Japan.

Links to previous posts:
Japan Tech: Part 2
Japan Tech: Part 1

Japan Tech: Part 2

CNET has posted the second installment in their special report entitled "Japan's Sun Rises Again." This second article addresses how the business culture in Japan is making changes in the  traditional views of seniority and the abusive work ethic we hear so much about in the rest of the world.

Link to previous post.

Digital Music in Japan

Here's a breakdown of digital music distribution in Japan. It's important to note that iTunes has not launched in Japan... There looks to be a huge weight on Windows Media technology.

Just for a reference point on cost, $1 US is around 100 Yen... Expensive, huh?

Japan Tech

CNET is running a special report about the recent economic successes in Japan, entitled: Japan's Sun Rises Again. The first article talks about the "coolness" factor is one of the biggest strengths in Japan right now.

Another related article outside of that special report is a great resource of recent articles from CNET and elsewhere about Japan and Japanese companies.