Nintendo DSi Follow Up
The new Nintendo DSi is due out next month. Although some seem to think the iPhone is an issue, it seems like Nintendo’s attempt to catch up with the current leader, the Playstation Portable or PSP.
Amazon Japan and Citibank End Credit Card Partnership
I got the email today from Amazon Japan and Citibank Japan informing me that the Amazon Credit Card was going to end as of December 15,2008.
The New Cool Biz – Shorts with a Suit?
First of all, I think there’s no chance of this taking off. A lot of places do the whole “Cool Biz” thing and wear short sleeve button down shirts without ties, or the slightly silly short sleeve button down shirt under a blazer, but now some Japanese fashion Einstein has decided that short pants is…
IKEA Japan
I’m just going to post some of my thoughts on IKEA Japan as seen through the eyes of someone who’s been to IKEA in both the U.S. and Japan. Things they are doing right: Paid to have a station named after them on the Port-Liner train (which takes people from downtown Kobe to Kobe Airport)….
Mobile Phones in Japan – 88% Use Cell Phones in Transit
A poll done by Nepro Japan, a huge mobile products company, shows that 88% of people in Japan use their cell phones while in transit. Here is a link to the Japanese description of the poll (pdf). The sample of 4,614 people consisted of 41% male and 59% female respondents. 42% of the total were…
Presidential Candidate McCain Borrows an Idea From Japan Wants a Gas Tax Holiday
Our own little holiday from the gasoline tax ended yesterday. As I pointed out in my previous post, I was looking forward to seeing if the gas prices would return to their March levels or if they’d go higher. Needless to say they went higher… I haven’t heard much talk about why, but that in…
IKEA vs Japan’s Old Business – The Battle Begins: Trying to Hammer Down the Nail that Sticks Out
With the extremely successful opening of an Ikea store in Kobe, there was a lot of talk about how the old boys, namely the department stores, home centers, and furniture stores were going to handle coming up against a very unique ad campaign, very low prices, and an international brand. Well, this first, very short…
Japanese Bodyguard Service Featuring George W. Bush on English Homepage
So I’m watching tv tonight, having dinner… I’m watching Kin-Suma(Kinyobi Smap) and they were doing a profile of different women with interesting careers. One woman was a woman who test drives the new models of Nissan cars. Another woman was an ex-champion table tennis player. Yet another woman came on wearing a black suit. A…
More Cartel-like Price Raising on the Way – Bread and Milk!
Possibly contrary to popular belief, milk and bread are also staples in Japan… everyday expenses that a caring government should only tax lightly if at all. Well, the GOVERNMENT is going to raise the wheat prices it sells to millers by 30% which will send up the prices of udon, ramen, pasta, and of course…
More Gas Price Reduction News – Gas Station Cartels?
As a follow up to my previous post (Strange Spin on the Gas Price Reduction Story) about the negative spin placed on the gas price reductions that went into effect in Japan on April first, I found an article which gives another reason for company’s to leave the price of their gas off their signs….
Strange Spin on the Gas Price Reduction Story
Watching the news on tv these past few days, I was surprised to see several stories that showed the temporary reduction in gas prices (which is something closer to tax relief than an actual reduction) as something NEGATIVE! One story was about a bicycle shop owner who claimed that business was finally looking up because…
Gas Prices Drop 25 yen per liter in Japan for the Time Being
Gas prices in Japan dropped about 25 yen per liter from about 149 yen per liter to about 124 yen per liter. All of Japan is abuzz… people are even drinking gas because it’s cheaper than sake! (OK that one’s an exaggeration, but I think you get the point. However, let’s put this into perspective!…