Ah, Christmas in Japan

Did you know that Christmas is, next to Valentine's Day, the most popular Date Night in Japan?

(from: http://www.date-navi.com/xmas/index.html)

And that the most famous 'Christmas Dinner' is brought to you buy Kentucky Fried Chicken?

Well to show they've finally gotten the 'true' spirit of Christmas, Japanese are more and more discovering the joy of giving. Yes, commercialized Christmas is here.

So much so that consumer loan sharks (bank-like institutions that make individual loans for outrageous fees, kind of like a credit card cash advance) are now getting in the act.

I saw this shocker on the train this morning:

(Children never forget what they got from Santa.)

(The memory of being stiffed by Santa lasts for 3 years.)

Merry Christmas. Suckers.

Anime Character for Your PC

It's not a screen saver or wallpaper; it is in a 3D format.

Buffalo, a computing peripherals manufacturer, will launch a Gundam USB flash memory in late November. It is a 4GB memory for 3980 JPY (about 40 USD), and a limited manufacture of 5000 pieces. It was originally a web-only sale, but with the popular demand, they are accepting pre-orders at PC shops in Akihabara.

Now you may think; "Who'd wanna pay 40 bucks on a 4-gig memory?" Well, don't underestimate the power of anime kyaras (=anime characters). Last June, they sold 3000 pieces of Rei Ayanami version and sold out in hours.

Rei Ayanami ver.

What's interesting is that Buffalo is never 'greedy'; they don't increase the production, period. I think it's a great sales strategy of (presumably) a high-margin product; 1)You just need to pay fixed fee amount on the copyright, 2)You can secure the sales by creating the sense of 'hunger' among the target, and 3)You can sustain the consumer interest in the product for the coming versions. Plus, it just looks cute as it 'sits' by your PC when in use (e.g. Rei Ayanami). Along with Gundam, they are also launching Lupin III version as well.

I shall now take off to Akihabara and get one...

Lupin ver.

source: Akiba Keizai Shinbun

Pitch-dark Restaurant?!

I was reading the Sunday edition of Nikkei Marketing Journal (newspaper though), and saw an interesting article. The "Kurayami Shokudo" ('Pitch-dark Restaurant') is becoming popular among hip urbanites of Japan.

For 3 days once per season, an event company in conjunction with Hakuhodo (2nd largest ad agency in Japan) hosts a reservation-only-crowd to offer Kaiseki (Japanese traditional dishes). Only 40 persons are allowed to per day at a cost of 10,000 JPY (=100 USD).

The aim of the event is to enjoy the meal at its best without relying on eyesight; in this manner, according to both host and participants, one can truly enjoy the genuine taste of the food.

To achieve Pitch-darkness, participants are required to wear eye masks and groups coming together are seated separately.

In other words, you sit with a bunch of strangers in total darkness; what a bizarre concept for a restaurant, right?

However, you are welcome to converse with those around you. Hence, you get to 'meet' your fellow participants during a 2-hour meal and sight-less conversation; this must be a funny feeling.

The event has become popular through the word-of-mouth, though I personally prefer good food and talk with my eyes open...

808 baby! Canned T-shirts from Uniqlo.

UT WEB is an online store run by UNIQLO that only features T-shirts. Its collection is huge; you would really enjoy just browsing. New items are added weekly, most of which are collaborations with famous artists, cartoon characters and manufacturer logos.

Last week, they launched a collaboration with ZTT records. Who could ever thought of that?! As my Japanese blog is named as an homage to 808 State, I HAD to get their '90' album artwork.

I bought two; red for daily use, and grey, same as the original work, for keeps. Fortunately, my new work place is close to their only 'offline' store in Harajuku, so I don't have to wait for shipping.

The Harajuku store is uniquely designed; The concept of the store is "Futuristic T-shirt convenience store."


It's like a 21st century version of Stanly Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange." The displays are also uniquely done; each T-shirt is placed in a plastic bottle. Each bottle is transparent so that you can see the design of the T-shirt, but also has a lable to show variations within the same series. The shelf is like that of coffee beans or canned drinks; definitely looks like convenience stores.
So, if you are ever visiting Tokyo, pay a visit to UT store for a futuristic shopping experience.

The Power of Double Meanings

This is a little old but just ran across it going through some stuff at work.  (this is not our work, of course.)

George Clooney is Stayin' Alive

More from Honda Odyssey with George Clooney. Man he's hot. What's that car he's drivin'?




This is not to be confused with Brad Pitt for Softbank mobile phones, part of a trend of "Famous Hollywood Star + Retro Cool Music" ads here in Japan:




Or my fave, Cameron Diaz: