E-book

Recently, I’ve often heard about e-book in the news. I ‘m a book lover. I have been waiting to see it for a long time, but I’ve never seen it in electric goods stores.
In fact, few years ago, some electric companies have once tried to enter the e-book market , but failed and bailed out of it,

why didn’t it become a popular in Japan?

And what happened from now on?
When they produced it in 2004, there were some devices in the market, DS(Nintendo), electric-dictionary and cell phone, and especially, cell phone has the same features as e-book.
I think that the reason cell phone wins is high-functions.

Usually, Japanese cell phone has very highly-functions which can use handheld texts and music and Web. Just at that time, Japanese younger generation got to be crazy for thumb novel. Their services were overlapping. In the end, consumer has chosen more convenience one.
Now, tastes are growing diverse, if they would try again, they might become successful. But I'm concerned about it.
It is due to differences between English and Japanese. In Japanese we can figure out a lot of information with less view, because of Kanji character. Kanji is shaped by picture, if I don’t know one Kanji phrase, we can imagine the meaning from each Kanji character. So then, we tend to prefer the good visual effects, even to books. In addition, we tend to describe with less words.

So I think, it would be difficult to get the win, like in US.
I’m convinced that enriched softwares will decide their future. When I read English books, I really think that English is difficult for reading, because, a lot of alike and meaningless line words. There is serious for poor readers, like foregner and Dyslexia and sight-dimmed eyes people.

I think there is in here the basic need, for the development of the software, to educate English and to facilitate visualization with emphasis or reading assistance tools or the screen good for eyes.
Also, they still have copyright issues. I'm ofeten impressed by effots of Japanese companies, but it would be difficult to solve these kinds of issues by only a company, so it’s important to cooperate with other companies, like Google and Amazon, Microsoft and Yahoo. By doing this, if the new wave will come, they could change their systems for it.
Well, very recently, I’ve heard that some newspapers were forced to cease their publications. Drying up completely, I’ll really miss it. Reading newspaper is the most favarite things in the morning. The publishing industry will also face the powerful tide of change in society. I'm wondering what kind of world will be coming!

Going into a market

How should you do for going into a market?
When you have a good idea and found a company, even good idea, it’s not easy to enter the market and new area.
Of course, the first people will get a great advantage without pain. But in many times, we have to go into the market already reigned by someone. It means " fight them for a share of the market".
Few years ago, I have seen an interesting competitive war in Japanese cell phone market.
In Japan, Cell phone has become popular since 1990’s.
At the beginning, “Docomo” cell phone company, NTT-independent dominated the cell phone market. After relaxation of regulations, various companies were entering this market. And now, some companies coexist together. “au” and ”soft bank” have succeeded to get some share.

Docomo 48%
au 27%
Softbank 19%
2009. 12
Why they could eat away at the Docomo realm?
Stylish design is the commonality among them and they have distinctiveness. “au ”is strong for music, and ”soft bank” is very cheap and tie with iphone. Especially, “soft bank” have been promoting an effective advertising program, and be success only for 2 years.

Strategies for going into the market summarized as follows
First, research what demand and needs are there. They depend upon their culture and history, and adjust to them.
Second, make the originality. It would become a major benefit for competitive success, and even in the same field, you would be able to coexist peacefully with other companies.
Third, display your concerning. now, there is no inferior product in technologically advanced society. So, we attached importance to the cost and convenience, more than performance. Unprofessional people don’t know detail than professional person think. It is important to promote simply and clearly to stand out in people.
Finally, Good image would be valued more than anything. Good image is shaped by good appearance and smart concept going along at the time. Interestingly, how many people judge something by looks.

Well, I’m looking forward to seeing new interesting share competition.

GOOD DESIGN AWARD 2009

On December 6th, Good Degign Award 2009 has been determined.
I've excited about a lot of good quality products with a tasteful design.

This is the best 15 products of "good design award 2009"

http://www.g-mark.org/english/archive/2009/best15/09A02016.htmlmark.org/english/archive/2009/best15/09A02016.htmlmark.org/english/archive/2009/best15/09A02016.htmlmark.org/english/archive/2009/best15/09A02016.html

They are clearly out of the ordinary.

Purpose of Good Design AwardsDesign leads to the creation of superior objects and conceptual embodiments. By addressing the environments that encircle our lives, design drives our own development and leads to a stronger and sounder society.Inheriting the Good Design Product Selection Program instituted in 1957 by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, the Good Design Awards constitute a comprehensive, globally unmatched program of evaluating and advocating design in terms of its history and scale.Following on the success of over a half-century, the 2009 Good Design Awards seek the attainment of richly sustainable and prosperous living, industry, and society through scrupulously fair judging-grounded in humanitarian love-from perspectives of innovating lifestyle values, social values, and cultural values.

Some are very stylish disign, some are functionality superior.

This is one of 2009 awarded products. It's a plastic wrap, it has a really lot of ideas, the prevention of clinging, a paper edge, a marked for pushing point, intelligible explanation etc. Great!

Well, when I checked products, I saw the universal design products.

I'm also interested in it, but I didn't know the difference between them.
The Principles of Universal Design
"The authors, a working group of architects, product designers, engineers and environmental design researchers, collaborated to establish the following Principles of Universal Design to guide a wide range of design disciplines including environments, products, and communications."

1 Equitable use
2 Flexibility in use

3 Simple and intuitive

4 Perceptible information

5 Tolerance for error

6 Low physical effort

7 Size and space for approach and use

(from Center for Universal Design)

I've found out that Universal design is a movement as a study, and Good design is a commercial activity on purpose. Good design would grow in value by ensuring products quality, by the trusted institution.

This award would boost companies awareness of the design, and as a result, added up to offer a broader designs and enrich the quality of products.

Obtain a good price for fashionable designs. I'm convinced that Japanese design already rise to a world-class level.

However, I have a comment on it.

This website is the products of 2009 year awarded.

http://www.g-mark.org/award/search.html?result=true&lang=en

A good many products are selected every year, the total of awarded products is over 35,000!

It's too much. I'm afraid that it might loose the meaning of winning the award. I hope Good Design can keep the quality of the award.

ＵＮＩＣＬＯ

Every Saturday morning, I'm overwhelmed by the ad of UNICLO.
UNICLO is Japanese clothing fashion brand. Now, UNICLO is leading trend in Japan.

I'm impressed by UNICLO's mind, competitive prices and unsurpassed quality and simple and up-to-date style!

For example, today's special is the velvet jacket. it's only 3,990Yen, it's 1/7 of regular brand-name jacket, I have. It's not discernible to the eye.

I must question the value of buying expensive brand-name clothes at the department store.
http://www.uniqlo.com/jp/

Now a days, UNICLO is trying to advance overseas.

I'm convince it would come up. Because UNICLO is needed by the people, place value on the other things, not clothes, UNICLO has caputured fans in the educated class, and especially low-income earner.

And That's style, vivid color and stylish design is for Foreigner maybe even better than Japanese.

I feel that we ought to welcome riging of these fashion brand, having clear strategies.

However, I feel a bit scare, because now the fisical resession still remain, a lot of fashion-brands are competing for dwindling territory.

Inefficient and weak ones will die out.

UNICLO must make a lot of efforts to provide inexpensive and high quality goods.

If he is popular, that doesn't mean he is coining money.

UNICLO's today's stock price 13,200 Yen

dividend yield a year 160.00（2009/08）

Sony's today's stock price 2,550Yen

dividend yield a year 42.50（2009/03）

They slash prices and compete on volume. I've seen tough facts of life in the fashion industry.

But, in some means, the rise of UNICLO will give hope to Japanese. And it will create and expand employment not only production ,but on the circulation. And to express a strong desire and clear vision to the world would increase the value of the company. In fact, the CEO of UNICLO could get a great deal of money riging UNICLO's stock price.

Any way, I ought to wellcome this current condition as a consumer without thinking.

High Yen

One week ago, I gave up writing blog, because of sleepiness.
I added some my opinions oh the previous blog.

The yen is still getting strong against the dollar.I had predicted a couple of years ago, because house prices of US were so expensive. As thinking a career wage of ordinary people, it’s not a real price but an expected price.
Well, how do they buy a house?They paid money to purchase a house, even take out a loan. It’s a dream, as an expectation house price will be rising, for their future. I feel a little jealous of American positive thinking.It was supported by strong expectation and huge amount of dollar in the market.
US population is growing, The strong expectation is supported by this reason, Actually, growth population will lead to intermittent inflation.
Japanese gorverment also trys to promote this fiscal policy, issue a huge amount of government bonds in prospect of economic growth and inflation.
It seems like shoesstring operation. It isn't secure. Luckily, A lot of Japanese companise are fighting against the inflation. Inflation might generate new risks of instability.
I think, today there are huge amount of extra dollars on the market. In fact, it brings an increase in excess investment. It sometimes flood on areas that generate profits, and when investor give up on, it flow out to new areas that generate profits. It's like a game.
I think the root cause of extra dollars, comes from not collecting the dollars by the Federal Reserve. Federal Reserve just has been printing of dollars. Doing bad-loan after recession by printing of dollars, eventually, will depress the dollar's value.
It also will cause wealth and a secure future loosse.
In the other hand, in Japan, due to an aging society, the population of wokers is rapidly decreasing. We can hardly expect rapidly economic growth. but we don't like inflation, because, we have huge amount of savings. We afraid of depressing the Yen's value.
I think that IMF in general should take initiative for such things. I guess dollars had been too strong. I look forward to successful reform in IMF.
Well, Japan already is a mature society. So we don't need a lot of things, we should maintain in our lives. we just hope for a stable society. We know, we should do the reformation of society, from manufacturing industries toward service industries.

Now, globalization is undergoing rapid progress in Japan. We can't avoid even financial globalization, we should know that movements on the world stage .

Addition 2009.10.11
The October 7 of news week issue had an article which is cautious about American inflation fear.
Rather, he believed the inflation will occur by things deficiency and extra money, and he recomended positive economic stimulation. I think that the resent weak dollar happend by fallen credibility from printing huge dollars.

My favorite cafe

Today I had lunch with friends at my favorite cafe, "cafe la meal",

which is a very stylish and artistic cafe.

I picked "LOCO MOCOLUNCH" from lunch menues.

It have a hamberg and rice and a cup of cold pumpkin soup and a salad and a cup of coffe and a gateau chocolat.

Well, the charge for this is ¥1,250 , it's around 11$, of course including a tax.

Don't you think it's really cheap?

I think that Japanese price, especially stock price and foods and houses and salary, is cheaper than US.

Maybe, we make a lot of efforts against riging prices.

In US, I was surprised that the expensive rent for the apartment and the astronomical house prices. It's too far removed from a real life of ordinary people.

I think there is an investment culture in US.

In Japan, usually, we think the house value starts to decline from the new.

But American believe the house is not a necessity for living, but one of the safety asset, and it's never declining.

I felt the difference in culture.

Any way, I'm sure that the Yen is getting stronger.

PS. The population growth is US's strength. I feel the American dream still exist today.