I was talking to a friend the other day… I was very surprised that he didn’t know about some of the sites that host links to places where American tv shows are hosted. I think the biggest and most useful is SurfTheChannel. I would probably even use this site if I lived in the US…
**A little update: in 2009, Amazon began producing Kindle Wireless Reading Device (link goes to Amazon) that ship to countries outside of the United States, including Japan. One of my main reasons for wanting a Kindle in Japan (Japanese language books, full color manga) are still not offered. Also, if you live in a very…
Aeon Japan will begin selling a 32″ flat panel tv for 49,800 yen tomorrow (February 20, 2009). Aeon is the giant retail company that runs Jusco, Saty, Max Valu supermarkets, and owns a ton more retail outlets. Although they sell electronics now, they are testing the waters to enter the market in earnest with the…
Google-mania.net reports recent sightings of the Google Streetview car in Okinawa, as well as Hiroshima, Miyagi, Fukuoka, Aichi, Niigata, and Hokkaido. Various sources reported seeing the Google Streetview car in Naha, Okinawa, as well as Miyakojima. It waqs also reported roaming around Hiroshima City, Nagoya and Kita-Nagoya City in Aichi, Niigata City in Niigata, Ishimaki…
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.
Japan’s business online newspaper Nikkei Net reports that the next generation of Nintendo DS game consoles will be equipt with cameras, including features which allow users to take pictures with the camera for use in various games. The new Nintendo will also have digital audio playback capabilities, and ways to import music from CDs and…
A blogger in Japan has written an open letter criticizing Streetview in Japan. Newzjapan thinks he’s off base. People in Japan have no problem with Streetview.
In a previous post I talked about how facebook might challenge mixi in japan. In a nutshell, I thought the apps that allow people in Facebook to interact and “play” together would be a big factor in the success of Facebook in Japan. I’ve also given some thought to the privacy issues involved with both…
In a nutshell, Japan was pressured by the Japanese record industry to put a tax on all portable digital music players. Let’s break it down with my own commentary dropped in there… THE MAIN PLAYERS: Basically the battle was between the music industry and electronics makers, including but not limited to Apple, and other major…
I have to say, Japan being listed as the top blogging country in the world is a little crazy. I can only imagine that the unnamed American company that did the survey knows nothing about Japan and worded the question poorly enough to construe the results. I’m not trying to detract too much, but you…
Today’s commentary is inspired by an article about use of Nintendo DS in eSchool News. The article talks about a Nintendo DS tie in to a textbook being used at Tokyo’s Joshi Gakuen (sic). Here is the story as presented by Reuters. Tokyo Joshi Gakuen should be commended for trying some new things, but the…
Slashdot.jp reports that during its first ten days of availability, Firefox 3 has been downloaded over one million times in Japan. I downloaded it four times myself thank you very much. This is big news because for all the technology that actually is accessible here, and the very technological image Japan has, you’d be surprised…