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| Window on Japan |
This column may be of interest to website visitors as it focuses on some
topics with culturally unique Japanese aspects that may provide useful
insights into the Japanese market.
Kindly send your feedback to:shiotani@sigma-international.net Thank you!
- 22: A Short Movie (Trip to Tokyo)
- May 31, 2010
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- This movie allows you to enjoy various trains and sceneries from Kamakura
area to Tokyo. It includes the famous Shinkansen Bullet Train. In Japan
there are many Shinkansen networks spreading out north and south from Tokyo
station. The one you would see on this movie is Tokaido/Sanyo Shinkansen
connecting Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Hiroshima, and Fukuoka in
Kyushu Island.
Besides this movie, attached (right above) is the area map which would
assist you to understand where you are and where you are heading next.
The red-lettered-alphabets indicate the route of trip starting point as
“A” to the final town Tsukiji as “F”. Therefore, please see the map first
to understand where I started the trip, i.e., the town where the office
of Sigma International locates, to the final business destination, Tsukiji
where I had a personal interview for a certain research project that I
was engaged.
Hope you could enjoy the trip as much as I did!
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Short movie Click and wait 10-20 sec to start |
- 21: Is Japan’s economics recovering? April 7, 2010
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- Today’s Japan stock market indicator, Nikkei Heikin finished at 11,292.83
yen with a 10.5% increase versus the yesterday’s ending. The stock market
has gradually and steadily been recovering from the 7,000 yen level a year
ago with a 60% increment. Mr.Shirakawa, Bank of Japan Governor, has also
commented a positive future view at his press interview today. A few days
ago, the Cabinet Office released the latest macro economics indicators
which also show a positive sign on Japan’s economics outlook. The combined
index shows an eleven month consecutive positive increment and went above
the level of the year of 2005.(See the chart) It has been said that after
the August 2008 Lehman Shock the consumption trend became so-called cocooning
in Japan as well as the United States. Staying at home, refrain from going
out, and controlling their spending. This particular consumer behavior
has impacted on the various products' sales trends. They would not go out
for drinking as many as they used to do, spend leisure time at home playing
game and/or DVDs. However, this trend seems to be changing a bit recently
shifting toward seeking a better value products even if the price is slightly
expensive.
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- 20: Shiraito Waterfall March 31, 2010
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- One of the famous waterfalls in Japan is Shiraito Waterfall located in
the west of Mt.Fuji in Shizuoka prefecture. The height is approx. 60 ft
and it width is about 600ft. The name comes after that there are hundreds
of small waterfalls and they look like a silk line, and the name Shiraito
literally means Silk thread. They say the water is coming from the Mt.Fuji’s
ice.
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Short movie
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- 19: How to enjoy the digital data broadcasting March
26, 2010
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- As mentioned in the previous article No. 9, now it became less than 500
days until the last analog broadcasting date of July 24th 2011. Recently
some of the government officials expressed their concern if the smooth
transition is feasible or not reflecting relatively slow penetration ratio
of the relevant equipments. This article is to show how you could enjoy
the digital broadcasting programs apart from its high density picture and
sound qualities. Right pictures illustrate regular digital TV screens you
may observe in Japan. In case you with to watch a certain program on this
terrestrial digital system, first you turn on the power (red button) and
then need to select the broadcasting system selection button. (Picture1
: remote control) by simply pressing “Terrestrial Digital” to get to this
system and for example you may enjoy a high quality Sumo tournament series
(Picture 2) then if you would like to seek for digital data services then
press the Data Button (Picture 1), and you could see the squeezed main
screen of Sumo together with many sections(Picture 3). You may see many
digital services which covers various services; e.g. local regional information,
news and events, emergency information such as earthquake/Tsunami warning,
traffic congestion information and some more in-depth programs. You may
also join any interactive programs with these color keys (Picture 1) to
transmit your own answers but it is of course mandatory to be connected
to the Internet through the LAN cable (Picture 4)
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Picture 2:
Source: NHK |
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Picture 3:
Source: NHK |
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Picture 4 |
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- 18:New RADIO Media Experiment started (Simulcast) March
17th, 2010
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- On March 15th, a new type of radio broadcasting started in Japan’s two
areas; Tokyo and Osaka with 13 stations involvement. They formed “IP Simul
Radio Association” (http://radiko.jp/) and commenced new simultaneous radio
broadcastings through the Internet. In fact there are many internet radio
stations in the world however simultaneous transmission is not very common,
or at least a new experiment in Japan, all of them were not simultaneous
or a kind of summary programs which have been broadcasted on a repetitive
basis. I found out that the sound quality is much better than regular Internet
radio stations. This experiment is exactly same transmission of the actual
on-airings at the same time through the Internet. The experiment is planned
for six months. This indicates that the conventional radio media may metamorphose
its media structure adapting to the new internet technology which might
initiate a new area for the RADIO broadcasting. This would accelerate more
competition and internationalization of Radio media. At the moment the
receivable areas are restricted as Tokyo stations are only for Greater
Tokyo Area and Osaka stations for Greater Osaka Area. Available to receive
the broadcastings with Internet equipped PC with a Flash Player but not
possible with windows mobile phones.
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- 17:Influence of the Western culture December 1st,
2009
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- In addition to the influence on food culture of Western brands such as Mac and Coke, a wide variety of other Western influences are observable in daily Japanese life. Relatively few Japanese people are strictly religious, in the Western sense, in my opinion. This is observable from the mix of holiday activities in Japan that are drawn from various religions and cultures. One that is particularly noticeable at this time of year is the Christmas illumination that decorates many Japanese homes. Also, in December, many Japanese exchange gifts and enjoy large Christmas cakes that are usually purchased at a local food shop or convenience store. Also, there are numerous parties at which business colleagues or friends enjoy a variety of different foods and drink. On New Year’s eve at midnight, many Japanese go to Buddhist temples for a ceremony in which participants take turns ringing a huge bell a total of 108 times. This ceremony signifies the cleansing of evil spirits. At this time it is customary to eat “new year soba noodles” at home. On the following New Years Day it customary to go to a Shinto Shrine to clap hands to alert the local deity of one’s presence, to pray and make a small donation. Afterward, Japanese enjoy Osechi Ryori, traditional Japanese dishes that are prepared only at this time of year. Also, prior to the New Year, Christmas decorations are replaced with traditional Japanese New Year symbols such as pine branches and woven straw objects that are placed at the front gate of the home or business entrance. This mix of activities and customs all taking place from December through early January each year may seem to suggest that Japanese are disorganized in terms of religion. However, I think Japanese people just accept these practices for the utility and enjoyment they provide rather than observing them in a spiritual sense. In this sense, Japan may be a cultural melting pot.
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- 13:Oh My Dog-No.1 (Unexpected Encounter)/
- November 3rd, 2009
I debated about whether or not to include a pet story in this column but given the fact that the Japanese market for pet supplies and services is one of the largest in the world, I finally decided in the affirmative. As with many pet stories from around the world, this one describes some of the happy as well as terrible experiences resulting from life with pets, in this case Jack Russell Terriers.
I had long been badgered to get a dog by Rintaro, my son, as well as by my wife. Eventually I gave in based on my image of a large, friendly, disciplined dog with handsome coat, such as a Golden or Labrador retriever. The family’s desire however was quite different as they wanted a small, chunky Japanese dog, such as a black Shiba inu. At the pet shop, however, Rintaro was charmed by a friendly Jack Russell Terrier that had a small cookie-sized brown spot on his leg. We were excited to begin our life with “Cookie” who we imagined would be smart and cute just like “Milo” that we had seen in the movie “The Mask”. To our horror, instead we found that Cookie was a little devil who raced around the house, yapping and leaving puddles here and there. Worse yet, he gnawed on the furniture leaving his teeth marks everywhere. Even though we took Cookie to a training school for dogs every Sunday he still refused to become the smart, disciplined doggie that I had envisioned. During this trying period, I often found myself shouting “Oh my dog!”
Eventually however, Cookie began making alliances in our neighborhood. Also, he and my son became close friends. I was particularly thankful for this relationship when Rintaro was forced by an illness to give up Karate, a sport at which he excelled.
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- 12: Enoshima Island/ October 17th, 2009
Today I will you through a short tour of the Enoshima Island near Kamakura.
The island sticking out in the blue waters of Sagami Bay or Pacific Ocean
connected by the Benten Bridge. This is one of the famous tourist spots
in the Shonan area. They say the Island was created by the volcanic activities
long time ago when the Mt. Fuji erupted. From Tokyo there are a couple
of ways to get to Enoshima by train, one way is to take Odakyu private
railway from Shinjuku straight to Enoshima Sta. which will take about one
hour fifteen minutes, the others are taking Tokaido or Yokosuka line from
Tokyo Sta., both require approx. an hour ride, getting off at Fujisawa
sta. or Kamakura sta. respectively and then take a local Enoden train to
Enoshima Sta. The view from the bridge connecting to the island commands
a beautiful view overseeing Izu peninsula and/or Mt. Fuji on your right
and Miura peninsula on your left if the weather is fine. After crossing
the bridge you can enjoy strolling through the narrow main street filled
with souvenir shops which leads up to Enoshima Shrine. In the Shrine, Benzaiten
holding a lute has been worshipped as the Fairy of Music by the artists,
musicians and many people. If tired, you may take a couple of escalators
bringing you to the top of the island. Reaching the shrine what you could
do is to pray for a good luck or purchase Omikuji (paper fortune), or Ema
(a votive tablet), and of course, you should not forget washing your hands
before praying to cleanse your spirits. On the top of the island, there
are a lot to see; a garden, a temple, the Enoshima Lighthouse, 119.6 meters
observation tower, where you could go up and enjoy a spectacular view of
Shonan area and others. In addition there are many sight-seeing restaurants
viewing Ocean where you could enjoy delicious Japanese dishes. Further
going down, there is a flat rocky stretch, Chigogafuchi, where you could
play around. At the end of Island, there is a cave named Oiwaya, some people
say that it is still connected to the Mt. Fuji in the underground and could
feel the wind coming from the Mt.Fuji.
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Enoshima Slide Show
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- 11:From Gramophone to i-Pod / October
10th, 2009
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- Ｉｔ was the moment that I just stepped in the small gramophone shop named Umeya at Kanda Tokyo. I was just stunned by the sound and it filled in every part of my body gradually. I could not move for a whole and it completely overwhelmed me. That sound was generated by the old EMG Mk10b gramophone with a huge long horn playing the old jazz 78 rpm record of Coleman Hawkins. Since then I have been intrigued by this old wooden music box which creates incredible sound. Hi-Fi audio/visual is my hobby and in the past I used to have a quarrel with my wife. She complained why I needed so many speaker or amplifiers. Then I would respond to that “Yes my dear but it’s a part of my job ‘cause I am working for the record company.” Right after this desperate last-ditch answer, she often said, “Then, how come doesn’t your company pay for the cost?” I just remained silent after this and unable to continue the conversation with her. Well, I guess that audio/visual hobby sometimes may require having this kind of battle with the CFO at home.
Speaking of development of these music media devices, after these old 78
rpm records we, of course, had LP/EP records, Open-Reel and Cassette Tapes,
DAT, MD, and finally the CD was introduced by Sony/Phillips and then the
DVD-Audio/SACD followed. Definitely we were relieved from such a time-taking
maintenance jobs which needed for these old devices and obviously the sound
must have improved and at least so I had believed until I stepped in the
Umeya.
According to the statistics from RIAJ or Record Industry Association of
Japan, the music software market has been relentlessly declining year by
year in the last ten years. Even Japan was not an exception. It had started
falling down after culminating it’s the peak production figure at 6.07
billion dollars in 1998; believe it or not, it has been diminishing constantly
reaching far down to 2.96 billion dollars in 2008, which is less than the
half of the highest production year! They say that the reasons are two-folded;
the copying issue which coincides with an increment of PC penetration at
home and the downloading was becoming conspicuous, now the i-Pod is the
most common music playing device among young people. It certainly provides
a new style of audio entertainment but I am not sure if the young people
would really know that there is a different kind of sound with a great
deal of comfort.
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EMG Mk 10b at Umeya
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HMV 163 at home |
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Music Software Production: Source RIAJ
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- 10: Strolling on the Shichirigahama Beach/ October 02nd, 2009
One day I had a late lunch with a friend of mine at the restaurant Rondino
Inamuragasaki and strolled about through the beach up to Enoshima. The
sun was bright, people looked happy and the wind was very smooth. Please
enjoy the strolling by pressing the button right, which will take you through
the slide show:
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The last slide is taken by Mr.Jun Nishikubo, a friend of mine |
- 9: TV Broadcasting System in Japan/ September
28th, 2009
The Japanese government has been expediting a huge PR campaign to explore
digital broadcasting system which is scheduled to replace the current analog
TV system in July 2011. The countdown is going on and now it is less than
two years until the final termination day which is July 24th 2011. It is
imperative to replace the current non-digital TV with a new digital tuner
equipped system so as to watch this new high definition TV system. It is
also needed to alter the antenna from VHF to UHF as well. According to
the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the latest penetration
rate for households of digital TV relevant equipments was 60.7% as of March
2009. The new Hatoyama government decided to continue providing the purchase
inducing promotional campaign as Eco Points System for some designated
electric appliances. In general, besides cable TV system, Japanese TV system
can be divided into two; one is terrestrial and the other is satellite.
This satellite is also comprised of two; BS which stands for Broadcasting
Satellite and the other is CS as Communication Satellite. The BS is intended
for much wider range of audience including government broadcasting as NHK
and NHK Educational as well as major private stations such as NTV, TBS,
FUJI, ASAHI, and TV Tokyo. As for the CS, it is more narrow-segmented broadcasting
with a lot of TV shopping stations and other specialty channels. As far
as terrestrial is concerned, the analog and digital broadcastings are coexisting
at the moment. The content is almost same as BS as mentioned above, two
government controlled stations and five nation-wide network stations. In
some regional areas, small regional stations are operating based on a UHF
scheme. Anyway the government has been encouraging people to change their
TV set to a new digital TV system which has several premium points at the
expense of some investments, according to the MIC, 1) no ghost images 2)
Hi-definition TV with a wider screen of 16:9 and more higher resolution
as 1080 lines with a CD-quality-sound 3) a couple of programs through per
channel 4) Some other convenient features as subtitle caption, adjustable
speaking speed, and audio descriptions for the visually impaired 5) News
and weather report are available anytime and participation in competitions
and questionnaires via a phone line or Internet connection. See more
info at: http://www.soumu.go.jp/main_sosiki/joho_tsusin/whatsnew/digital-broad/index_en.html
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Flat LCD TV is becoming more common
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Sometimes HDD is attached to record the program or to see digital photos
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- 8: Hokokuji Temple/ September 24th, 2009
One of my favorite temples in Kamakura is Hokokuji Temple, or casually
called Bamboo Temple. At the back of the temple there is a breath-taking
beautiful bamboo garden where you can appreciate the beauty and the power
of 2,000 or more Moso-bamboos (the biggest species of bamboo) all year
round. This is actually one of Zen temple which belongs to Kenchoji Temple
of Rinzai Sect. It was originated by Tengan Eko in 1334 (the first year
of Kenmu-era) to commemorate Ashikaga Ietoki, grandfather of Takauji, first
of Ashikaga shoguns.
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 The Temple Gate |
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The Bamboo Garden |
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The Bamboo Garden |
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The View from Tea-House |
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- 7: Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine/ Spetember 21th, 2009
The largest and almost symbol of Kamakura is this shrine located on the
centeral area of Kamakura city facing toward the Pacific Ocean. It was
founded by Minamoto Yoriyoshi in 1063, and enlarged and moved to its current
site in 1180 by Minamoto Yoritomo, the founder and first shogun of the
Kamakura government. The shrine is dedicated to Hachiman, the patron god
of the Minamoto family and of the samurai in general. The Torii Gate is
guarded by the Japanese stone statue of dogs,known as "Komainu",
the guardians inside the Shinto shrine. From the top of the Shrine you
could see three Torii Gates lining up to the Ocean. On the day I paid a
visit to the site, a traditional Japanese Shinto style wedding was going
on. Enlarging the picture you may recognize the bride and the bridegroom
standing in the hall in the middle of the picture. (See below left)
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Torii Gate
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Komainu's Close-up |
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Hachiman's Front View |
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Three Torii Gates |
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- 6: Who is the most handsome guy in Kamakura?/ September 20th,
2009
The answer is Kamakura Daibutsu, the Great Buddha Kamakura. The height
is 13.4 m and the weight is 121 tonnages. The seated Buddha, Amida Nyorai
known by the familiar name of the Kamakura Daibutsu is the principle deity
of Kotoku-in temple. It is a national treasure. Construction of the Daibutsu
began in 1252 and continued for approximately ten years. He attracts many
tourists from many parts of Japan as well as other parts of the world as
well. He has been sitting there for more than 777 years with the beautiful
smile.
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Explanation ForThe Construction |
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- 5: Odawarajo Castle/ September 19th, 2009
We took a 35 km bike ride to Odawara city from Shichirigahama visited Odawara
Castle on Saturday, September 19th. Odawara City, population approx. 200k,
80 km southwest of Tokyo, can be reached by a 1.5 hour train or 2 hour
drive from the capital. Surrounded by mountains of Hakone and Tanzawa on
the north and west, the city faces Sagami Bay on the south. A mountain
castle built by the Omori Family in the Muromachi Period (from 1338 to
1573) was a forerunner of Odawarajo. This donjon was rebuilt in the style
it had at the end of the Edo Period (1603 to 1867) based on a model made
around 1700 in the Edo Period. Inside the donjon are exhibits with historical
information materials. The top floor with latitude of 60m commands a good
view of Sagami Bay. There are many old castles in many parts of Japan.
Please refer to: http://shiro39.hp.infoseek.co.jp/index.html
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Samurai's Armor |
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- 4: Booming Pet Market / September 14, 2009
Even in our neighborhood many people strolling with their dogs can be observed
and the rising number of pets is very evident. According to Fujikeizai
(Chuo-ku, Tokyo), a highly reputable market research company in Japan,
despite the dropping consumer consumption trend, the pet-relevant-market
showed positive growth in 2008 up by 2.9% recording 3,981 oku yen or 4.28
billion US dollars. Moreover, they are predicting higher increments this
year by 4.5% and expecting to reach 4,159 oku yen or 4.47 billion US dollars.
In every corner of Japan, females are cuddling up to their dogs and enjoying
the everlasting chit-chat about their much loved pets with their friends.
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- 3: A Great Painter Kame-chan! / September 7, 2009
Kame-chan lives just a block away from my house and he used to run a design
office in central Tokyo. One day he run into the art exhibition of the
famous Japanese movie star, Yuzo Kayama, and saw a picture there. At an
instance he viewed the picture a wild idea struck him that he thought that
he could do much better painting job. He then took another bold step of
quitting his job and moving down to Kamakura to start his completely new
life there. He has a wife and two children, but he made up his mind and
they all moved down together. After coming to Shichiriga hama beach, an
outskirt of Kamakura, he has been painting picture everyday: Please visit
and enjoy his website to see more. http://tortoiseroom.cool.ne.jp/
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 Kame Chan |
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One of His Paintings (showing with consent) |
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- 2: Will Japan change? Entering a Period of Consequences?/ September
1, 2009
The latest lower house election which was held on August 30th in Japan
resulted in a landslide victory for the opposition to the long-ruling Liberal
Democratic Party, i.e., Democratic Party of Japan led by Yukio Hatoyama.
Now the DPJ stands firm in both lower and upper houses in the diet. Is
Japanese foreign diplomacy going to change more shifted toward East Asia
or becoming more independent from the United States? "The Era of Procrastination, of Half-Measures, of Soothing and Baffling
Expedients, of Delays, is Coming to its Close. In its Place We are Entering
a Period of Consequences. " Sir Winston Churchill, November 12, 1936
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Source: Asahi News Paper August 31, 2009 |
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Shonan is a region located south west of Tokyo which is very popular with
Japanese people for the sunny beach resort area with a slightly upper-class
image. During summer vacation a lot of tourists, surfers, and young couples
visit this famous resort coast. Kamakura, one of the ancient tourist towns
belongs to the Shonan area which is famous for many temples and shrines.
Our office, Sigma, is located in Shichirigama which is on the Enoden private
railway line between Kamakura and Fujisawa. On the beach there are many
cafes which attract young people. Taro’s is one of these cafes located
in Inamuragasaki run by Shige who has run this shop more than 30 years.
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 Shichirigahama Beach |
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Shige |
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Cookie (R) and Candy(L)
