Japan Success Strategies for Life and Business

Archive for the ‘Niche Ideas’ Category

Oozing Gluttony

Monday, October 3rd, 2011

Gluttony is one of the 7 deadly sins and, unfortunately, Japan and the Japanese are not immune from it.

Human beings are often gluttons in one way or another. Americans have a tradition of gorging on high-fat, low-nutrition foods on a regular basis and have the guts to prove it. Japanese, on the other hand, have their oral fixation satisfied by cigarettes and obsessive use or abuse of the modern pacifier called a cellphone. We human beings are flawed.  One point in the Japanese lifestyle that is definitely superior is that the natives (as a group) eat slower and subsequently less than Americans do.  An American can easily vacuum up a large French Fries at McDonald’s in a New-York-minute.  The Japanese will be eating fry by fry at 15- or 30-second intervals. Some may think that the DNA of Japanese makes them much thinner than their American counterparts.  Yes, they are smaller by and large than Americans and they do have eating habits which foster optimum health passed on from older generations.   But that inbred advantage is quickly fading as American fast-food culture invades.

 

Although bigger is becoming better in miniature Japan, I implore marketers to be responsible and market quality products in Japan in proportion to the size of this nation and its people. Gluttony sells well because it unmasks the base desire of all human beings to grab more than is needed, just in case the good times stop rolling. I believe it is time to revive the feeling that small is beautiful… and what better nation to export this self-sustaining virtue than Japan?

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Unashamed Youth With Fistfuls’ Of Moolah

Monday, August 15th, 2011

The number of single households in Japan has surpassed for the first time the number of married couple households.  More and more women are opting to remain single longer or forever.

What once was a man’s domain, the “wise” investing of family earnings has now seen a larger number of women – presumably single – looking to financial markets where they can get a higher rate of return than the low-interest accounts of banks.  My wife is the married equivalent.

There is a growing demand for websites and seminars for individuals with little or no experience in investing.  I personally know of one woman who has made more than 2 million yen in the last six months on gold and silver markets.

It is my firm belief that education about money shouldn’t begin after you start working.  It should start from the age when a child understands that the ice cream mommy bought cost money.  Parents are the first line of defense against fiscal irresponsibility as adults.  Jim Rohn, a renowned business coach and public speaker, says that the goal of every parent and educator should be to give a child the fiscal and moral training to allow the child by the tender age of eighteen to be independently wealthy.

Thus, the opportunity lies in teaching young Japanese children through manga step-by-step training booklets for elementary-age school children and online training for middle and senior high school students in the art of becoming financially independent.  This could also build up a strong mailing list which will then buy your proprietary software for researching and investing worldwide once they graduate from high school.

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Taking Vanity and Sin to the Limits

Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011

Often frequented by celebrities, this smart and luxurious bar nestles inside the Lanesborough Hotel, UK. Its majestic surroundings of plush upholstery, book-lined shelves and coffee tables with polished brass service bells conjures up an era of genteel service and distinguished drinking.

Make no bones about it – Japanese young people are marrying later, if at all, and having fewer children, if any at all.  Some might call that a crisis or a shame, while the entrepreneur would see it with eyes wide open.

Nagai Kafu and the artsy image. It's the stuff of new fashions in Japan.

The single life has gone mainstream, much to the chagrin of older generations.  The Setagaya Literary Museum recently held an exhibition focusing around the life of a charismatic writer, Kafu Nagai (1879-1959), whose work is still popular.  Married twice but single from his mid-30s until his death, Nagai was a typical chauvinist of his era.  Despite his machismo, women have also been known to be moved by his writing and life.

The museum has compiled 10 rules, based on Kafu’s writings, for leading an enjoyable solitary life.  Among them are that if a restaurant takes your fancy, you should go there no matter where it is.  He also recommended eating as many sweets as you want, keeping a journal, and hanging out with as many members of the opposite sex as possible.  Hmm…Sounds a bit like modern life!

How about a Kafu Package:  luscious chocolates, a gift certificate to a five-star restaurant, a gilt-edged journal with the person’s name engraved on the front jacket in diamonds or gold, and a voucher for three uses of a top-of-the-line companion service

OR

We live in a world which dismisses the classic novels and henceforth the writers who wrote them.  Many of them led solitary lives full of debauchery and decadence…by my standards.  Yet I believe the Japanese would embrace the concept of novelist or entertainment cults with the same reckless abandon that gangsta rap and hip-hop have caught on fire here.  Atmosphere bars or cafes with replica paraphernalia – pipes, eyeglasses, vests, makeup, clothing and accessories – of the bygone eras could become a new drug for the young.  Some writers or entertainers of note who have he allure and stickiness in Japan include:  Greta Garbo, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Clark Gable, Mae West, Howard Hughes, Kinuyo Tanaka, Albert Camus, and Ayn Rand.

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Plastic Fantastic Lover

Thursday, July 21st, 2011

In this plastic-bottle vending machine society, Sigg bottles are an example of a potentially appealing line for Japan.

This past week I was taken back by the variety of pet bottle designs in Japan.  Being a long-term resident, you take such ingenuity in stride.  But it is quickly branching out into everything from hangers to gardening watering cans to prescription drug containers.  Attractiveness is truly the bait to try a new product on the shelf.

In Japan, 40-65% of pet bottles are recycled, according to the source you cite.   Recently, a lot of recyclable PET bottles are being shipped to China, and several recycling plants are operating at less than 40% percent capacity.  Many of the 60 or so plants are edging toward bankruptcy.

Like it or not, we are living in a finite world of natural resources.  With epic documentaries such as former Vice President Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth,” it has become increasingly difficult to live in a sound-proof cave with blinders on about the depletion of our earth’s resources and the resultant warming of our planet.

It is my firm conviction that the somewhat apathetic Japanese will be at the forefront of making long-lasting, upscale, attractive recyclable bottles, containers, hangers, utensils and whatnots.

While our thirst for plastic bottles may continue unabated, nature will pull us back to reality.  Japan is a great place to set up shop as a bottle designer, much in the mold of a Swiss company called Sigg.  This is a real business opportunity and design rather than language barriers will dictate the market.

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A Steaming Idea

Sunday, July 10th, 2011

There are more than 130 million people in Japan, but only a fraction of them have or will ever have an entrepreneurial mindset.  This is good news for foreigners who are burning with passion.  Lots of local merchants and associations with good ideas, products and even web presence tend to keep their talent local.  They don’t think nationally or globally.

The Kusatsu Onsen Tourist Association has launched a two-year pilot program which is partially subsidized by the central government to revive run-down, tourist-deficient hot spring areas.  These areas were once booming in the ’60s and ’70s.

There are about 3,000 hot springs in Japan such as the one in Kusatsu, near Tokyo.  The government and local tourist associations are looking toward revitalization and revival of these ancient wonderlands.  Though Kusatsu seems to have their act together, many other areas are dragging their collective heals and wallowing in the throes of depressed economies.  Take a look at the Kusatsu website.  If you think you could clone or even improve upon such a website, you may be in business.

Since the government may pick up part of the tab, the time for action is NOW!  Several years ago I lived in such an onsen area, Beppu, and although it has become somewhat rundown it still has great charm and appeal, if framed right.  Become the framer and have the government foot the majority of the tab.

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Building Sophisticated Affiliate Portals For Japanese

Thursday, June 30th, 2011

While there are several web sites on Japanese trends and innovation, few of them are well-known among Japanese or foreign consumer-surfers.  And although the market for TV home shopping is on the increase, viewer rates in Japan measure only a few percent.  Such big-hit products as Billy’s Boot Camp have seen mainstream success, but such TV networks are generally dependent upon a small, loyal, hungry consumer group which buys gadget after gadget on a whim.

The top four media–-catalog, direct mail, Internet and TV–-make up 75% of sales, of which TV shopping and Internet sales have shown particularly outstanding growth.

Japan is a land of gadgets and gimmicks.  Many of them have a shelf life of less than a year or two.  Come, such as Hello Kitty or Apanman, have become cultural assets with high marketing value worldwide.

The trouble is that gimmicks and hype dig into our disposable income and we should know the unbiased and un-bought testimonials of those who use these products and services.

Until now, we have been pretty much forced to rely on staged testimonials and PR blurbs distributed by the manufacturer around the concept of Product of the Week, similar to TV shopping channels in exhibiting their stuff.

Why not build a site a product in a streamed video, but dissimilar in the respect that the film producer is totally objective.  Each product will be judged according to a set of criteria such as price of competitive products, durability, practicality, etc.  Each page of the site will have paying sponsors (which would be clearly recognizable) to make the post worthwhile.

Alternatively, you could set up a site which features unique products from Japan and offers a Pay Per Click (PPC) or affiliate commission structure such as ClickBank.  This may be a lot to chew off, but the rewards in this consumer paradise (Japan) could make it well worth the struggle.

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Tour Biz On A Shoestring

Tuesday, June 21st, 2011

Tourists associations in many parts of Japan used to leave the planning and implementation of tours to travel agencies.  But the truth is that local associations know the nooks and crannies much better than a city-slicker agency scanning the Internet.

The Nanatsugama Caves of Saga, designated as a national natural monument, are cliffs sharpened by the rough waves of the Genkai Sea. The frontage is 3 m and its depth is 110 m, and you can enter there by a boat at the time of a high tide.

The relaxation of the travel law opened the way for tourist associations to promote tour programs.  Saga Prefecture’s Karatsu Tourist Association has exploited the association friendly law by devising a six-tour program.

The reduction of the security deposit each travel agency is required to place with the government was reduced from 10 million yen to 3 million yen in July, making it east for KTA and other associations to opt out from using travel agency for local promotion.

This lower barrier is also great news for foreign nationals wanting to own and operate agencies in unique, scenic areas of Japan.

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Simplistic Challenge And Bliss

Monday, June 13th, 2011

I’m a true believer in simplicity.  Simple life, simple friendships, and even simple toys.  The world of marketing since the Millennium has provided us ample chance to see that nostalgia and the toys of nostalgia never lose their allure.

Such is the case with the stunning comeback of the simple yet entertaining Kendama.  The basic technique is to catch the ball in the large cup.  Children who have never tried the game are recommended to start playing kendama kaiju, or kendama monster fight.

Each part of the kendama has a name. The stick is called 'ken', and the ball is called 'tama'. Together, they are called 'kendama'. CLICK THE PICTURE TO GET ONE OF YOUR OWN.

There were more than 80 primary schools requesting licensed kendama instructors in the past year, an increase of over 50 from the previous year.  Additionally, many schools are now considering adding this skilled game to their curriculum.

The degree of difficulty between beginners and advanced players is vast, thus requiring a license.  The agility and hand-eye coordination makes it perfectly suited for all schools worldwide.

I believe all indigenous toys for agility have a potential in Japan and elsewhere.  It’s all in the marketing.  For example, koma or Japanese top is a wonderfully simple toy that could have great appeal in our Nintendo world.  Take a peek at one in action…

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Cell Phone Junkies Need A Fix

Wednesday, June 8th, 2011

One can’t escape from the reality that mobile phones (keitai in jp.) are a fixture of modern life.  Owning a cell phone in Japan, however, is a very complicated buying decision.  The fine print of contracts for each phone company is so complex that not even many dealers can weigh the options and give you an informed opinion as to which phone, which plan, and which options match your budget and needs.

The Japanese Internal Affairs and Communication Ministry plans to put an end to this confusion by offering dealers  and private individuals a chance to qualify as mobile phone sommeliers.

One of the main targets for such a license will be Non-Profit Organizations (NPOs).  As a foreigner, this would be a golden opportunity to carve a niche among the foreign community in Japan.

If you are multilingual in Japanese, Chinese, Korean and English, then you will be a savior to the majority of foreigners here who haven’t the foggiest notion about which phone and plan to purchase.

If you are bilingual in Japanese and one of the other languages above, then you could easily forge a win-win partnership with some other foreigner(s).

The keitai-based sommelier idea is spreading to all genres in Japan, making this licensing idea a winner in our connected world.

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A Virtual Panjumon Village in Tokyo Metropolis

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

When I was in Phoenix a few years ago it seemed like everyone was working out of an upscale coffee shop. While this idea has not caught on much in Tokyo, there is a growing (though still small) market of entrepreneurs who are on the move and can’t or won’t be tired down to an office. After all, being an entrepreneur means developing a mobile work life.
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The virtual office offers you a complete corporate image without the huge costs of renting office space. This is quite important for start-ups. Some of the more established ones offer prestigious addresses, bilingual telephone answering services and a host of other services to make the on-the-go or business on a temporary stay fully able to carry on business.

The advantage of setting up such a business is that you can have hundreds (if not thousands) of people registering a prestigious address at the same residence. While those facilities are available on a reservation basis, the need is often of very short duration. If you are living in a prestigious area of Japan, you can deem your residence as a virtual office.

Here is a caveat: There’s no legal limit on how many companies can use one office. But the Business Organization Law requires companies to keep the articles of incorporation and the list of shareholders at the head office. Violators may be fined up to 1 million yen. Apparently, not many virtual offices follow the rule.

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