Also, originally published, in a much cooler Mac-form at
http://web.me.com/boredinho/boreduniverse/Boredblogg/Entries/2009/5/25_A_VERBAL_PLUNGE_INTO_JAPANESE_MARKETS.html
Japan; Sushi, Sake and Samurais. Still credible associations, indeed.
Tokyo; Crowded subways, Changing sceneries and Contemporary buzz.
This is of course just merely touching the surface of what Japan and Tokyo has to offer. So how can I break the surface? How can I plunge into the wild japanese markets?
Curiosity in it self just doesn`t cut it. Talking with some norwegians about how they see japanese consumer-trends, how japanese markets are developing and how they are different from the norwegian norm, just didn`t prove to be fruitful. So what do I do?I need some terms which can help me explore, a guidebook. Well, no one is going to give me one for free so I just gotta make it myself.
Firstly, I need to understand the dynamics of japanese marketing. I guess that this needs time and consistent efforts over a longer period than just the 72 days I have left. But I have already started. Walking around in Tokyo, checking out the different shops, noticing how the shelving is organized, the Sushi prizing strategy, how the fashion-shops are changing their clothing-line week in and week out. I guess I gotta start somewhere and when I try to understand the micro-picture of it all.
In due time, I wanna come to grips with the great beast of the macro picture. Which involves societal-factors, long term evaluation of what works and what clearly doesn`t and maybe if they have the same criteria for determining success as we have in the west. I imagine that Japan is a country of companies like big monster-like institutions that dominates everything but I haven`t really seen the belly of the beast. I wanna get a look inside of japanese business!
Then comes the plunge, when I have climbed up to the big clip, gazing out on the japanese markets from the perspective of an omniscient eagle(an unreachable ideal, I can imagine). It takes courage, frustration and continuing feedback-loops.
Thirdly, the return to Norway; What can be applied to Norway or even the some western-markets? What represents a window of opportunity or maybe blue ocean of market-opportunity? Cause clearly, the japanese does do a lot of crazy things, but does it work in Norway? And is a success in Japan a success in Norway, or should I go for the japanese failures? This seems like a Mission Impossible to determine, but the difficulty while diminish as my understanding and wisdom develops, but once again hope and hard work are still my only contributions to the process.
Then, I hope, I can return, again and again and over again to Japan, getting inspired and can reinvent myself and being able to get myself some new,japanese mental furniture. This is the dream, it`s not an ambition yet, but a pattern in my life I deeply want to emerge. Going places, seeing things, get inspired, seek wisdom, explore my horizons and get some lifelong japanese friends and companions.
Well, the guidebook didn`t turn out that good I guess. At least I now what I want to explore, but how is still a puzzling mystery. The road is formed while walking, I presume.
Review of a new product “iPhone”
General Information
The iPhone is an internet-connect cell phone designed and marketed by Apple Inc. Its minimal hardware interface lacks a physical keyboard, so a virtual keyboard is rendered on the multi-touch screen instead. The iPhone functions as a camera phone (including text messaging and visual voicemail), a portable media player (equivalent to an iPod), and an Internet client (with email, web browsing, and local Wi-Fi connectivity). Next I will review each functions:
Phone
As a phone, the iPhone is all the same with other cell phone that we use in Japan.
E-mail
The only thing that I was disappointed in the iPhone is E-mail function. The biggest problem for iPhone users is that it does not contain “copy and paste”. So if I want to put someone’s sentences or phone number, I need to rewrite it. Also, a pictorial symbol is not available to use to other company’s phone. However, there are some useful functions that other cell phones do not have. For example, iPhone can use free mail software that we could use in computer such as Gmail or Hotmail. So I can check an e-mail which is received by Rikkyo mail account, and reply it.
Internet service
The iPhone can connect to the internet through “safari” which offered by Apple Inc. Recently, there are some cell phones which could connect to Internet sites that we use in computer, but the price to brows them are really expensive, so most of people just use sites for cell phones. Softbank mobile provide a fixed amount for iPhone users to use all communication services so it is really useful.
These three are the main function as a cell phone. The iPhone has lots more useful functions that other cell phones do not have. The iPhone starts a revolution to cell phone industry. Cell phone industry rapidly improves technology. I am looking forward some amazing cell phones that will be made in the future.
I am: A 23 year old student who hails from quite possibly the bowels of the United States where there are screams of agony, cries of despair, and the scent of fire and brimstone is ever present...
I am a 19 year old student who loves "keiba". Well, to be honest, it's illegal to bet in "keiba" in Japan when you're under 20, but I guess nobody told me not to so I bet anyway. I have a blog that I write every racing day with my friend in Rikkyo University. He was the one who made me become so addicted to "keiba".
I need to be able to use time wisely. As the time for "ichigen"- the first period is getting closer and closer, and the time I have to leave is getting closer, I just start to think that I need to use time wisely. I just get carried away reading "2chan" or other websites, playing FPS games, talking to people on Skype. Then, when I realize it's always way too late to sleep so I have to spend an all-nighter just by myself. Well, today I had to practice my presentation after I came home from "nomi" which was quite a hard task to do. I guess I really need more self-control and many others.
I want to have Mr. Donovan as my EAP teacher. Well, I can't really be whining about these things, but I'll just say that Mr. Donovan is an awesome teacher and I envy people who get to take his class.
AND, even though some people know who my present EAP teacher is, I can't really write that on the Blog.
I fear that my EAP teacher will read this BLOG!
Nah, not really.
I fear that the time I have to leave has just come and probably Roy Sensei will get angry because I left this blog post 'till the last minute!!
I need time!!! From last March,I hardly have been able to have dinner with my family. I tend to make my schedule tight. I will be carefully next month so that I can more sleep, have dinner in my house, relax, and communicate with my family.
I want any dogs. I have never had any dogs as pet in my life. The reson is just my mother don't like any animals. Actually, I am hardly in my house then I will not be able to take care of the pet. I think I want to have a dog when I will bacome a mother and have any my children.
I fear my job hunting. Now is heavy economic crisis, this connects to decrease recruitings of companies. I saw my senior in my starbucks struggled with that, I thought that seriously.
I am 22 years old, studying in a business school, and now enjoying life as an exchange student in Tokyo. I am part of those people who have an identity made of different cultures: born in one country and grown up in another one with three native languages, and who have to answer questions like «which country do you prefer?», and have then to explain that we cannot choose. I am an optimistic person who has a lot of hope and expectations about life. I am curious about everything I don’t know. I am also a lazy person who is doing contradictory things: I hate wasting time, but I do waste a lot.
I need to organize my life here, so that I can be on time, to meet people and to have my work done. It is just so difficult in Tokyo, city which never sleeps... I need to sleep more as well. Actually, 48 hours days would be so much better, but still not enough I guess. I need to know how to say no a party when I don’t have time, money, or when I have to be at work early in the morning the next day. I need to have the feeling that I do something with my life and that I learn more everyday.
I want more. I am still looking for something else, new, special, different, although I don’t know what. I want to go everywhere, find interesting places, people, lifes, way of thinking. I guess I also want to know more about myself at the same time...
I fear I will not find what I am looking for, I fear I will end up one day living the kind of boring life that I just don’t want, trapped by my surrounding. I fear I will have to face someone telling me «You see, I told you, you were young and optimistic at that time, but that’s life». But now, I am full of energy and I don’t care. I just fear cockroach...
I need something that will REALLY REALLY make me interested. Right now I don't have something that I'm really into and therefore don't have a great way of maybe spending my life....
Therefore, I need to find something that will really hook me up and forget that time is passing by.
I want to be able to teleport. The reason is simple if I can telelport, I can go anywhere anytime and not have to worry about the process and time it takes to get to the location. Train is not too bad, but sometimes is iritating with so much people and so much noise.
I fear the future of Japan. Japan has become a great country, but it still faces many problems. Limited resource, meandering economy, unstable politics, and so on. It's true that many other countries face these problems as well, but the problem with Japan is that it doesn't look like the problem is going to get solved by anychance. It's just getting worse and worse. Am I going to be able to get a job?
I need these three extreme passions to nurture my personality:
1. Sports and the joy of competition and play(Judo,soccer and every other game),
2. Family&friendship(People I respect and love)
3. My constant curiousness for new things and interesting prospects(A company like Apple, a poem or some new knowledge acquired from life experience or from reading).
This has sculpted an intense, vibrant and enthusiastic man that sometimes can be too demanding,sometimes too dreamy and always is too busy and talks way too much.. As Kanye West has put it: “Giving up ,is for me, way harder than trying!” . That goes for me too. I always try to be the best I can, doing the things I love, with people I respect. Now it sounds like I am always competing, but actually I am just living,trying to exist the best way I can. It is like Kevin Costner in the 90`s movie “Bodyguard” said: “You can be who ever you choose to be, it takes an act of discipline, but it can be done.”.
I want to aspire to being a good resource for myself and those social circles I consider myself a part of. I daily look myself in the mirror and let my inner voice decide if I am successful and every time I realize that my potential is far from fulfilled.
I fear that when I am grey and old will regret not taking the opportunities that my heart wanted me to do. Sometimes I daydream about the perfect girl, a girl that has all the qualities I look for,feel for and live for ,but still has the cutest little imperfections that makes her complete. The thing is that I don`t know what the perfect girl is like, I fear that I will give up finding love.......
I am
I am a guy who really love football. Last night I woke up late to watch the football match. Barcelona is my favorite team and I believed Barcelona beat Chelsea, one of my hatest team. However, the score was 0-0. I felt really bad through out the day.
I need
I need to have more passion to study. Always, I am really enthusiastic at the first few weeks of semester. However, it gradually drop all the time. Does any know how to keep it? If yes, please tell me!!
I want
I want to travel more. I really love to travel all around the world. This picture was taken by me when I went to Barcelona, when I was 18. I was still a high school student at that time. That travel changed me a lot. It was a first time that I went somewhere just by myself. I really felt lonely but it was a wonderful experience. I am planning to visit some Europian countries, so if you guys have any recommend, let me know.
I fear
I fear of snake. I hate snake!When I was in Singapore, I had a experience chased by snake. Can you believe it? Iwas age 3 or 4, and that was really shocking to me. From that time, I really hate and fear snake!
I want to visit my hometown, Hiroshima. Last year, I went back there for three times and each trip was about a week. I thought it was not enough time. Spending time with my family and old friends are precious time for me and makes me feel comfortable. It gives me a lot of energy and makes me feel happy. So, I would like to spend more time there this year and have a rest.